A Dragon's War
by Griffinmon
Summary: As War hovers over the lives of the dragons; The mage has erased the fine line between fantasy and reality, and The Chief of Knights is forced into an unwanted arrangement, but finds an equine friend along the way; Ch 5 & 6 up!
1. It Has Begun

A/N: A Rewrite of the entire story. Hope you people don't mind.. personally, I find this one's much better, and easier to understand. ^_^

Disclaimer?: I don't own Digimon. I'd like to, but, unfortunately, my expenses and my Mom won't let me.

Summary?: The war between Dragon and Knight has gone on for centuries. Now, a young knight bands with the dragons to help stop the warfare, though involuntarily. With the help of other mythical allies, the Dragons fight to end this mess of a feud. 2nd Chapter is a rewrite! Please review. ^_^

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Dragon's War

Chapter 1: The Knight, The Arrow, And His Friend – It Has Begun

Running. It felt like you were flying; flying over the ground, leaving all troubles behind. But this wasn't freedom, thought Ruki, this was a nightmare. A red-headed, young-looking girl, hair held up in a pony-tail by a strand of linen; she ran for all she was worth, leaping fallen branches, and obscure twigs that kept trying to fell her. And leave her to die.

            Her deep set eyes shown a fierce lilac, and danced in the light, full of secrets and answers of old. She'd lived over five hundred years, and she'd be damned if she let some idiot kill her now. Jupiter made her, and Mars ruled her, and she wasn't about to give in just yet.

            She scanned the trees, arrows flying past her. She needed a strategy, and _now_. She looked to the trees, begging for some sign, but that was it! The trees, they couldn't follow her there. She jumped up and off the log she was meant to pass, grabbing hold of the sturdy tree branch and swinging herself into play. Fleet of foot and more graceful than any cat, she leaped and swung, showing off the perfect predatory skills she was born with. She figured she'd lost them after several minutes, and ducked into the branches of the large oak she was in. She smiled to herself, "Game.. Set.. Ma-aah!" a single arrow pierced her shoulder, shoving her from her hiding spot in the tree. She fell like a rock, not at all like the cat she seemed.

            A single hunter, not the group that she'd lost, emerged from the shadows of the trees. Merely a boy, thought Ruki, I was shot by a _boy_. She couldn't move, it hurt too much. The hunter bent over her, looking down on her face. "You shouldn't have spoken. I never would of found you then." He said, stabbing his bow into the earth, propping it up in place.

            Ruki could feel the hatred for him welling up inside her chest. If she could've moved, she would've attacked him. Her heart pounded, and she could barely feel any pain in her left arm and shoulder, couldn't feel it at all, really. She coughed; it was getting harder to breathe. The hunter examined her shoulder silently; he tapped it lightly, or hard, it was difficult to tell. "Does that hurt?"

She shook her head, "No.."

"I don't think I can help you much.. But I can find you a good-"

"If you hadn't shot me in the first place this wouldn't have happened." She glared at him, and for once had a good look at his face. He had bright auburn eyes, and his hair was tawny colored and stuck out at odd angles. He wore chest armor, which was intricately designed with stags and unicorns in silver, sign of a hunter, and a very good one at that. Instead of a helmet, his head was decorated with a pair of yellow goggles. The arm brace on his right arm was of leather, and his knee guards and elbow guards, too, were of silver ore.

At his waist, hung a scabbard, in it, or so Ruki deducted, was a hunting dagger, double-edged and slightly curved. And, judging by the size and shape of the sheath it was in, was made many years ago, but it had a flaw; its steel wouldn't stand against rock, or against another blade wrought back in the Ancient times of Japan; those were the strongest of steel. Ruki's many years of collecting, she being a dragon, had paid off; she knew much about a wide variety of blades and other weaponry. She was able to identify a worthy blade by the scabbard it fit.

She snorted, in spite of herself, and a knowing grin flickered across her face.

He raised an eyebrow towards her, "What?"

"Your blade," she answered, "it's very weak."

He stared in disbelief at her, "What's that supposed to mean!?"

"That you have poor taste in weaponry." She winced; she'd moved her shoulder.

He fumed slightly, hand unconsciously inching towards his bow.

"Go ahead. Finish me. That'll end everything.." she closed her eyes, expecting him to take her up on the offer.

"..Why are you so… so… angry?" she opened her eyes, he was kneeling next to her, his worry visible.

"I'm not angry."

"Alright. Then why-"

"Why are _you_ asking me so many questions when you could be killing me!?" she snapped, glaring.

"I've.. never met a dragon before.. It's a shame to have to kill them."

"Now you have. And I'm going to die either by your pity-ing or by my bleeding to death. I hope I can run out of blood faster than you can sympathize."

"I'm sorry.. But-" Their chat was cut short, the voices of the following horde was coming closer. "..We have to hide you." He said quickly, scanning the brush surrounding them.

"Takato! Takato!! Where the bloody hell _are_ you!?" the voices became louder as they neared.

The hunter lifted the dragon girl from her lying position and laid her behind a tree, covering her tracks and hurriedly shooting arrows in random trees leading away from her. He ran a ways away from where she sat, then emerged from the forest twenty meters from her tree. She could only listen while they spoke.

"Takato! There you are! We were afraid you might've been attacked! Where the bloody hell _were_ you!? You had us all worried sick! I'll be damned if we lose our best bowman to some stupid lizard!" the leader rambled on, but was stopped by the hunter's apology.

"I'm sorry, Sir Yamato! But I chased after it for as long as I could, but it got away! It jumped into the trees and escaped!" he informed them, there were hushed whispers that ran 'round the procession, before the lead spoke up again.

"Well, you did well today, whether you killed it or lost it. I'm proud of you. You give Dragon Slayers, like us, a good name."

And pay, thought Ruki hot-headedly.

"Thank you, sir. I am honored."

"You should be! Now, just tell us where the vile thing went, I'm sure your tired after that jog."

"I am, sir!" for effected, he drew a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "The thing went through there." Ruki wasn't sure where he pointed, but if he directed them toward her, she would kill him, one way or another.

"Takato, you've done quite enough for today. Stay here and guard this path, make sure it doesn't try coming through here." 

"Yes, sir!"

The stampeding of feet drowned out the leader's "Chaaarge!" It died after several minutes. The boy, Takato, trotted grimly back through the brush. Ruki glared at him, those remarks about her and her clan had hit her below the belt.

"I'm sorry about insulting you. But I had to, or they would know something was up." He apologized, hanging his head. "If you wish, I'll call the town doctor. I'm sure he-"

"No. I don't want some swindler telling me I'm 'fine,' " she barked, her glare intensifying. "I want Jyou."

"..Pardon?"

"Are you deaf? _Jyou_."

"I.. I'm afraid I don't know any doctor by that name.."

"That's because he's not a _doctor_. He's a shaman, a Healer-mage." She explained.

"How.. do I.. call him?"

She closed her eyes, imagining the healer at her side; his staff of oak-wood, his animal skins, the beads, feathers and other luck trinkets. The rustling of his chain of feathers, the crackle of his dried herbs. She could almost hear them as if he were here himself.

Takato jumped, strange rustling noises of moving bushes and branches filled his ears. The even crunching of leaves, indicating a traveling man wearing heavy boots. He grabbed his bow and reached for one of his arrows; his hand met nothing.

A shadowed figure emerged from the trees, Takato could hear him chuckle. "Looking for these?" he moved his half-ed cloak to one side, revealing the some ten arrows stuffed through his belt. The hunter snatched at his dagger, it was gone, too.

Chortling, the mage drew the dagger from inside his cloak; he tossed it with deadly accuracy into a nearby tree. "I suppose you want that back?" he gestured to the knife, stuck squarely in the oak.

With no other weapon at his disposal, the young knight picked up it bow and swung it at the figure's head, with a loud grunt of fearful anguish. "Eyaaah!"

His bow made contact with a hard surface, the hunter opened his eyes; the figure's oak-wood staff stopped the boy's attack inches from his face. He smiled, "Nice try."

"W-what!?" Takato blinked, fear building.

"I said 'nice try.' " The figure repeated, a grin still dancing on his face. The figure leaned closely towards the boy, "You have to be much faster, though. And you have to.. Think fast!" In a flash, the mage's staff was hurled towards the knight's head; the boy shut his eyes tightly, awaiting impact.

"Huh. That'll never do.." said the mage. Takato opened his eyes, focusing on the staff, which was an inch and a half from his face. In another instant, the cane bounced gently off his head, in a sort of disciplinary manner. "Not much of a fighter without your weapons, hum? Ah.. Ruki! How good to see you again! Haven't seen you since the fire of 1650. Y'wing healed?"

"Good as new." Ruki nodded weakly.

"All's well, then. Hum? Ah, look's like you've got a bit of a wound, there. Arrow.. Barbed or general?"

Takato spoke for her, "General. I.. didn't want to hurt anyone.."

"Well, now. That didn't work all too well, 'ey?" he laughed, stepping from the shadow of the trees. His blue hair shining; his square-ish glasses reflecting the sun's rays. His clothes were strange, he wore a simple, sleeveless, navy-colored shirt; trinkets of all kinds decorated his neck, wrists and belt. The belt was thick leather, sporting many sized pouches, all containing some sort of herb for healing. Feathers dangled from his headband, and more multi-hued feathers; violet, scarlet, red, green and bright yellow; were shown hanging from a key chain, for more medicine-related purposes. The skin of some animal, Takato did not want to know what, covered his tender area, as a decorative loincloth. His pants were well padded in terms of warmth; his boots came up to his calves, and were fur-lined, perfect for traveling in cold weather. His cloak was a nice blue; it was shortened, as it only came to the small of his back, but could be pulled easily around its wearer for heat.

The staff seemed simple, made of oak-wood, it was nearly as tall as its carrier, and split into a 'Y' at the tip, sporting a large round gem; it was a colorful green, and practically radiated magic; it had been welded and carved from the very magic that created the universe, and was the vessel of his luck, his very soul, the magik that he practiced.

"Yes, it _is_ a nice staff, hm?" he held it out towards the knight, who blinked in confusion.

"Huh!?"

"Well, you were staring at it for so long.."

"Oh! S-Sorry.."

"Ah, that's alright. Now, back to Ruki." he pulled a handful of fine, yellow powder; and, kneeling next to Ruki, blew into his hand, scattering the dust into the dragon's face. She coughed a few times, sneezed, then, strangely enough, slumped over in sleep.

"You won't feel a thing." Jyou teased, smiling to the sleeping form of his patient.

"What'd you _do_ to her!?" he rushed up to them, blinking in both a mixture of fear and worry.

"Oh, nothing. Just.. _this_." The mage blew, scattered another small palm-full of extra powder into the boy's face; he stumbled back, coughing and hacking, before finally falling over in slumber. The healer-mage laughed merrily, he loved his job.

Takato awoke an hour later. He found himself propped up next to a tree, his quiver refilled with arrows and his dagger hanging loyally at his side. Was it all just a dream?

"Are you going to lay there all day?" a voice asked him. He hurriedly jumped up, fearing it was Sir Yamato.

"No, sir! I was just resting, sir! Really! Huh? …Aah!! It's _you_!" he backed away, tripping over a rock and tumbling along the ground.

The dragon girl stood before him, regarding him casually, but she stiffened, and her voice dropped to a colder tone. "Yes, it's _me_. And.. oh my _Gawd_! It's _you_!" she mocked, laughing coldly.

"Y-you're _real_!" he stammered.

His observation was rewarded with an icy glare, "Of _course_ I'm real. What were you expecting!?"

"I thought you were just a dream.. I mean I thought I was asleep! No, I mean-.. Agh! I don't know _what_ I mean!" he clutched at his head, shaking, trying to get his thoughts strait.

"I think those goggles are cutting off the circulation to your _brain_." She snorted, turning away from him in disgust. He scrambled up, grabbing her arm, refusing to let her leave him alone.

"No, wait! Don't go! I'm sorry! I'm just.. _really_ confused."

"Well, I can _see_ that." She rolled her eyes.

"Uh.. well, I'm Takato," he stuck out his hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet 'ya."

She stared at his hand, then back at him, "What are you _doing_?"

"Uh.. Oh.. right. You've probably never shaken hands.. you're.. a dragon."

"It's better than being a stupid little knight, like you." She turned her back to him.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean that, I.. just… uh…" he searched for a worthy explanation for his stupidity.

"You're an idiot?" she offered.

"Yeah! … No.." he shook his head, realizing her comment a bit late.

"Which is it? You're wasting my time."

"Then why are you still here?" he questioned, figuring he might as well eat his other foot, too.

"I-!! …I… That's none of your business!" she growled, not wanting him to get the best of her.

He smiled, "You were worried, weren't you? While I was asleep you were worried!"

"I wasn't!"

"It's okay, you can admit it. I won't-" he was silenced when her fist collided with his jaw; he stumbled and fell onto his back, shaking his head in agony.

"Worry _that_."

"Attaaaaack!" a booming war call echoed around them, they were charged from all sides, a blonde-haired knight leading the storm. They were surrounded, Takato stood shakily, staring about him, at those who he was once apart of.

The blonde regarded him coldly, "I thought you were better than that, Takato. But no, I was wrong. And you know how I _hate_ to be wrong."

"S-Sir Yamato.. I-I'm sorry.. I didn't-"

"Didn't _what_? Didn't know the consequences? You know the rules perfectly, the Code of Honor, the vow of allegiance to the Dragon Slayers. You betrayed us. You betrayed _me_. You _were_ my best bowman. You _were_ on your way to the highest rank of knight. You _could_ have been _great_. And yet, I find you giving that all up.. and for _what_? A demon." He scowled at the dragon-girl, who was growling at the knight nearest her.

"She's not a demon." The young hunter looked up, a determined, yet pitiful expression plastered on his tanned face. "She's just like you and me."

"It's nothing like me. It's more like something that I scrape off my boot at the end of the day.. It, and _you_, Takato, are both lower than a serphant's belly. You have no place at court." He drew his sword, "And for your betrayal, I'm afraid that.. I must kill you. Both." He tested the sharp blade with his thumb, running it along its welded edge. He signaled for the ring of knights to step back, to give him room for his kill. They obeyed, and he moved in.

As the blonde knight raised his sword, two hooded figures jumped from the trees into the ring, each holding a spear-like weapon. One rushed at him, swinging the mounted blade expertly. It sliced the air cleanly, warning not to mess with him, the other figure covered the backside of the two cornered mice.

"What in hell is _this_? Damn it, _kill them_!" Yamato barked, pointing his battle blade at the two. The surrounding warriors moved in, wielding great swords and shields. The hooded strangers twirled the staffs deftly, slashing at the circle to ward them off; the knights hesitated. The shadowed warriors seemed undoubtedly sure of their skill and hands, they acted as if their expertise was nothing but a mere show-and-tell.

The two put on a great show, the staffs clashing and clanging together, being twirled like batons and thrown with nimble care to the other, and back again. The first figure's staff was of Japanese origin, it's head was much like a sword, watered and sharp, like the katanas of that land. The second stranger's spear was also of the same origin, but it's head spilt into three blades, much more adept to parrying sword blades, though a deadly weapon in it's own right. Their spear heads clashed for only a moment, making the illusion of the letter 'H', with the three-bladed spear hitting the ground horizontally, and the watered blade stabbing into the earth, making the last right-cross of the English letter. They were picked up, and held at ready, their show over.

The group was amazed at the skill, but were nonetheless forced to obey charter law and kill the enemies. Yamato smiled triumphantly, watching as the four rebels were to be slowly crushed.

The screeching scream of a woman split the air. The knights looked up. It sounded again, then several more. Resounding like bird-calls, instead of a woman's paced echo, when she would have to draw breath in-between, unlike the bird.

The blonde gasped, "Harpies!"

They echoed through the forest, none could tell the exact position of the bird-women. Each and every one of the sophisticated warriors knew the danger of Harpies, the foul-smelling, havoc-wreaking, bird-like women. They were much more treacherous than mermaids, and about as determined as a centaur wanting food.

"We must get out of here.." Yamato breathed, then turned back to the rebels. He grinned in an evil way, receiving an idea. He grabbed the nearest bowman, and robbed him of his ware; he nocked the arrow on the bow he'd taken, aiming for the dragon-girl's head, wanting to put an end to what she'd created first; he let the arrow fly.

"No!" Takato's quick hand shot out, the arrow piercing it, but stopping it from hitting it's rightful target. He drew back his hand in pain, as the knights quickly backed away, the Harpy calls becoming louder.

"To hell with you! And may you suffer in the talons of the cursed!" Yamato glared, jabbing out his blade in warning at his once-was-apprentice, but rounding and leading his men away from the area, before the bird-women came upon them.

Takato fell to his knees, holding his wounded hand and looking longingly after the retreating procession. Crimson liquid poured from the wound in his right hand, creating a shallow puddle beneath him.

His breath become ragged, as it usually does when one is injured severely, or begins to cry. For him, it was the latter. Tears welled up in his auburn eyes as he sadly reflected upon the events, "No… No! No!! Why!?" he sobbed. "I deserve to be devoured by Harpies!" he pounded the ground with his clenched fists, regardless of the shooting pain the arrow caused.

A hand touched his shoulder, the dragon-girl, "What Harpies?"

He looked up, his tear-stained eyes meeting her lilac ones, warmed only slightly. "What? What do you mean 'What Harpies?' You heard them! They're… coming…" he paused, the screeches had stopped. The forest was shrouded in an eerie silence. Another hooded figure leaped from the great oak in front of them, it walked calmly over to the others, regarding them casually, and examining the knight from under its hood. "…There _are_ no Harpies.. are there?" he turned back to Ruki.

She nodded, "Exactly."

Takato was short of breath, he was going to pass out; he was losing a lot of blood through his hand. 'Too late..' Was his last thought, as his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell over with a sound _whump_.

***

He dreamt he was flying over the lush, green, forest land, and most strangely, on the back of a dragon. An oddly colored dragon, too. It was reddish-orange, a light auburn, and orange streaks crossed its scales, like those of a tiger. Its lilac eyes roamed the land, searching for a landmark of some sort, as its great translucent wings beat the wind, keeping them both adrift.

Three other lizard-beasts flew along side his dragon. One was a beautiful bronze color, its scales reflected with the many colors of the rainbow, its light auburn eyes in a dreamy state, it loved the feeling of flight. Another dragon was a solid orange, with deep-set, dark-ginger eyes. Its tail lashed out, it seemed to be in command of the herd. The last traveling companion of the group was a lavender-colored beast, its light mahogany eyes swept the landscape, it, too, wanted nothing more than the sweet sensation of wind whipping your wings in their long voyage; it seemed thoroughly satisfied.

They wove in and out of clouds, trailing the cumulus along with their tails, making funny shaped holes with their wings in the haze. It all seemed so real…

***

Takato opened his eyes; he saw the rushing ground below him, and the red and orange-streaked hind-legs of a great scaled beast. He felt light-headed, from blood-loss, and the whirling feeling of the altitude, it made him feel sick. Everything whirled in a mass of green, red, orange and blue and white. He could keep nothing strait, it confused and horrified him, he was scared, no, terrified of what would happen next. But none of it mattered now, he was much too weak to be evaluating anything, the spinning of landscape and height got to him, he fainted again.

Prodding and poking shook him momentarily from sleep, and voices whispered to each other. There was a soothing rubbing feeling on his shoulder and neck, it felt good. His vision was blurred, but it was not time to get up yet, no, at least, that's what the voices told him. He felt one of the voices rub a cool poultice on his hand, the arrow had been removed, before he lapsed back into the peaceful hold of sleep.

Takato opened his eyes, sunlight rushed in through the trees, hurting his eyes only briefly. He tried to move his hand to his face, to shield his eyes from the light, but found he could not. The boy was shaken into a realistic view, had they tied him up? He blinked, clearing his vision and looked about him.

Two girls, a brunette, and one with purple hair, were sleeping soundly beside him, heads pillowed on his shoulders. They were both dressed in ragged clothing, torn and sleeveless, but both were pretty, nonetheless. The violet-headed girl wore glasses, a strange sight to see in peasants, for usually, glasses were extraordinarily expensive. She squeezed his arm, sighing, as the brunette tugged at the front of his shirt in her sleep, coddling his arm. He then saw what scared him most. Each girl had a scaly tail wound about their waists, like a dragon's; the brunette's tail had a pointed spear-head like end, while the bespeckled girl had a scythe-like end.

He hated to wake both of them, but he was terrified, and not thinking strait. He screamed, shaking both from slumber and tore away, scrambling to find his feet and run. He tore at the ground in his escape, expecting them to give chase. He'd not gone three meters when another girl, with orange hair, which curled naturally outwards at the tips, walked toward him, holding a plate.

"Breakfast?" she questioned, a dragon tail waving laughingly behind her. Hers was less decorative, a simple dragon tail, small, dull spikes poking up all through its length. She smiled at him

The boy shot past her, knocking the plate from her hands; she watched him run before shrugging and retrieving the plate from the ground.

He tripped, falling, but he ripped at the nearby trees and brush, regaining his lost balance and heading clumsily onward. He stopped when he accidentally tackled the person in front of him. Strangely, it was the girl he'd met earlier, Ruki.

"_You_! Thank Gawd it's you! There's these weird girls, they all have tails and-" he stopped his rambling, as he focused on the scaled, red and orange-striped, feather-tipped, dragon tail.

"What _are_ you gabbing _on_ about!?" she snapped, shoving him away from her. The other females emerged from the bushes, all wondering what had caused the boy to take off in such a hurry.

"Where're you headin' so quick, stranger?" the ginger-haired girl asked, smiling pleasantly.

"Yeah! Why don't you stay for dinner?" the brunette grinned happily, exposing her dragon-like fangs, which only helped in distressing the young knight more.

He whimpered pathetically, "Please don't eat me…"

The girls shared an inquisitive glance, raising eyebrows in confusion.

"_Eat_ you?" the purple-haired girl asked.

"Why on _earth_ would we go and do _that_?" the brunette piped.

"What kind of an moron _are_ you!?" the red-head protested.

"Now, Ruki, let's be nice to our guest." The orange-headed teen stated, raising a finger in warning to the young dragon-girl.

"Hey, girls, what's-… up…" a pink-haired beauty entered their circle of question. "Oh.. my… and.. who is _this_?" she regained composure and stepped lightly toward the boy. "Hi there! I'm Mimi, who're you?" she radiated gentleness, and even her dragon's tail seemed to agree. It was pink, dull spikes lining its back, the tip ending in feather-like fluff, colored auburn.

He was surrounded by dragons. They moved in, prodding his ribs and biceps inquisitively, asking multiple questions, ranging from 'Are you a knight?' to 'Are you single?' Ruki watched disapprovingly as her clan piled their curiosity onto the poor goggled moron.

She decided to step in when it looked as if the knight would collapse again, "Alright! Back off'a him! He's not a toy, for Buddha's sake! Off! Now, before you go and smother him with your enigmatic puzzlements, I suggest you back off and introduce yourselves before I have to take off a few limbs!" she made her point, the curious girls backed away and straitened out into a line.

"I'm Miyako! Bingo!" the purple-headed, bespeckled girl smiled hyperly.

"I'm Hikari, pleased to meet you." The brunette beamed sweetly.

"I'm Sora. Welcome to our village." The orange-haired girl bowed respectfully.

"You already know me! Mimi's my name, Alpha's my game." She giggled playfully, though Takato didn't understand the refrence to her rank.

"Oh, sure. Just go and flaunt it.." Miyako frowned teasingly, giving the pink-haired girl a reproachfull, though playfull, glare.

"Might as well exercise the power." Mimi chuckled to herself, in high good-nature.

"And, of course, I'm Ruki. Ignore them, they tend to flirt." She gestured to the other four beside her.

"I wasn't flirting!" the lavender-haired lass burst out.

"Yes, you were, Miyako. You always do." Ruki shook her head, recalling the other visitors to their village.

"I don't!" she protested again.

"Yes, you do! Remember the centaur?" Hikari piped up, teasingly.

"Don't bring Wallace into this!"

Mimi, Hikari and Sora all burst into giggles, as Miyako mock-seethed; Ruki only frowned, shaking her head in disgust.

"_Why_ can't I have a normal family? Like **you**, I'm sure _you_ have a nice family. Don't'cha, goggle-head?" Ruki turned to Takato, a wondering expression on her face.

"Uh.. I.. don't remember them. I was sent to the Dragon Slayers to become a knight when I was little.. I don't recall ever seeing them again.." there was a sad tone in the hunter's voice, he stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the dragon-girl.

"..Well. I guess neither of us has had much of a childhood.." it was only a whisper, but Takato caught it nonetheless.

He pushed it further, disregarding the little voice that told him he'd eaten his foot enough today, "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She replied coldly. "It's none of your concern."

"But if it's bothering you-"

"Take your chivalry elsewhere. It's none but a burden." She gave him a muderous glare, "You waste my time." With that, she stalked off, climbing a tree and dissapearing into the brush.

He watched her go, "Why is she like that?" he questioned himself, as one of the natives popped up beside him.

"Oh, don't mind Ruki. She just doesn't like other people. I'm sure she'll learn to like you soon enough though!" the pink-haired girl wrapped her arm about him in a friendly manner. He just stood there, confused and silent.

The other girls giggled and whispered to each other, watching the young knight. "He _is_ cute!" Miyako observed, smiling flirtatiously.

~*~*~

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you agree this one's a bit easier to understand and better written. Well, if you hated it, or liked it, please review! I'd appreciate it! Thanks. ^_^


	2. The Assassin's Assignment

A/N: Hullo people! I finally decided this was worthy of posting, so here ya' go!

Disclaimer?: The plot is mine! _Mine_ I tell you! Anything else is a creation of Saban and Toei! If you think I'm making money off'a this, you can eat my shoe!

Summary?: Chapter 3 up! A new character comes into play for the young knight and his rebel friends. Beware the wrath of the Assassin! Target practice is for the birds! Er- Dragons! Enjoy.

Additional Note:: "Koi" is a Ginjika BlackWarGreymon, I had no other choices for Alpha male, because just about every other male character has his own part- Thank you, and have a nice read! Enjoy!

Dragon's War

Chapter 2: Enter The Mage – The Assassin's Assignment

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A horse and rider trotted darkly through the castle gates. The rider's cloak covered most of his face, but he radiated a sinister air about him, all the Slayers at court feared him. He was the Assassin. They clearly doubted trusting him, and wondered why Yamato even needed him, the Traitor couldn't possibly be _that_ hard to kill.

******

Sir Yamato paced up and down in his large, spacious bedroom. He was nervous, the Assassin he'd called for had arrived, he was to meet him in just a few minutes. He stared out the window, at the green forests, where that little whelp of a so-called knight was, the Traitor.

A haunting flute melody filled his ears, erasing his thoughts, and sending a chill up his spine. He whirled around, facing a shadowed figure, sitting silently on his bed, a silvery flute to his lips. His chocolate brown eyes stared up at the blonde, a eerie glimmer shining in them. A purple cape was draped about his shoulders, a red-gem– ruby, most likely– pure gold lining it's edge, pinned his cloak up, magic was seemingly emitted from it; it was his vessel of his luck. He was a Mage.

He placed the flute on the bed beside him, and stood. A proud, grim smile danced on his face; his grin alone could freeze water.

Yamato shivered, "You came."

"I did." He smiled back, his voice was pleasant without being friendly, quite a surprise from such a treacherous-looking figure. "And I see you're in good health, yes?"

Yamato nodded, "Yes, quite.. well.. uhm.. the.. reason I called you was-"

"You need my.. assistance, yes?" the Mage finished for him. Yamato nodded. "Ah, good. Who?"

"Ahrm.. it's Matsuda.. my apprentice. He's-"

"Defied you and joined the rebels. Yes?" he finished, he was amazingly good at this.

The blonde nodded again, "Yes. Very… How did you-?"

"I get this a lot. No problem." He smiled again, "Now.." he stretched out his hand– as if for a handshake– Yamato knew exactly what the magician meant.

He drew in a deep breath, a pulled a small velvet bag from his pocket. He tossed it at the brunette, who caught it deftly.

The Mage weighed the bag in his hand, evaluating his prize. "And.. where would this.. boy be?"

"He's with the rebels."

"Yes. But who-?" he looked up, Yamato wasn't going to get off easily tricking the Master of Tricks.

Yamato held his breath, exhaled jaggedly, and answered, "Drns.." he mumbled it lowly, not wanting the Mage to hear exactly what he would be facing.

"Hm? Mind repeating that, _friend_?" his voice had dropped to a more icy tone.

Yamato gulped, "Drgns." He muttered it again.

The Mage was beginning to lose his temper, "**_What_**. Am I going against _exactly_?" his voice was becoming a growl.

Yamato whimpered softly to himself, then spoke out loud. "Dragons! The rebels are dragons!"

The Mage relaxed, smiled. "Oh. And I thought it was something _hard_."

The knight sighed in relief. As the magician continued, "Well, then. In _that_ case… _No_. Keep your damned jewels.. I could get more out of a blind peddler…" he grumbled incoherently, chucking the bag roughly back at the blonde. "Imagine… the nerve.." his mood was quickly dropping into anger.

"Alright! I'll double the pay." The knight snorted haughtily. He pulled another velvet case from his other pocket, tossing both bags to the magician.

The assassin snorted, "Two bags.. do you think I'm tickling gremlins!?" his eyes flamed, as his tone rose dangerously.

Yamato stumbled backwards, gripping his dagger and pointing it at the wizard, who glowered. "Stay back, _friend_."

The mage snapped his fingers, a evilly curved blade appeared at the knight's neck. "You think I'm joking?" his proud grin returned. "Well.. I have a surprise for you…" His lifted his gloved hand, pointing his figure at the blonde. His thrust his finger forward violently, the knife plunged into the blonde's throat-

******

Yamato sat up in bed, screaming. His breath came in jagged rasps.

The menacing hiss of the playing flute stopped. "Ah.. you awaken." Came a friendly voice, but Yamato knew it all too well.

His stomach churned, as he answered, "_You_…"

"Indeed. Have a nice.. rest?" he smiled, his chocolate eyes reflecting cheerfully. The cloaked figure put a silvery flute to his lips, played a few notes, sending a chill through the knight. "Now.. let's talk.. business. You.. have a job for me? Yes?"

The knight nodded, the figure smiled grimly.

"Bring it on…"

~*~

The dragons gathered around the boy, still pestering him with their curiosity. Ruki watched from a distance, up in an old oak tree, frowning distastefully.

A rustling caught her sharp ear, she gritted her teeth, leaping from the tree's boughs and charging towards the others, "Hide the boy- Dark approaches!"

They scattered immediately, ushering the boy to a safer hiding spot. They returned and huddled, resuming their lively chat, Ruki keeping wary of the brush behind her.

A roar, like that of a madman, and a boy's scream echoed around them, one after the other. The knight burst from the brush, scrambling fearfully, tripping and tumbling, unable to find his balance. Another figure, large and well muscled, leaped from the bushes, stamping over the ground, in pursuit of the boy. He was much swifter than his large frame suggested. A strong, knotted hand struck out, grasping the knight's shirt and throwing him backwards, then skidding to a rough stop.

The pursuer was a large, heavily-built man, blonde hair that hung, uncut for many years, at his shoulders. He stood at six foot-ten; his eyes were a piercing, gold color. His wardrobe consisted only of worn, tan pants, that didn't quite fit him, as the legs barely came to his calves.

Takato blinked, shook his head, ridding himself of confusion, but not quick enough- his pursuer lifted him off the ground, large hands gripping brutally at his neck, ready to snap it in half. He gargled a protest, his air supply was slowly being cut off.

The other dragons protested loudly, but only two took action. Ruki forcefully attacked the elder from behind, catching him off guard in a headlock; he dropped the boy, thrashing. He growled furiously, tossing her off, as if she was nothing but a leaf. The other dragon, the pink-haired girl, stomped angrily up to him, and slapped him squarely across the cheek; he stopped his ferocious assault instantly, and hung his head.

He had a deep, bass voice, that reflected his tough attitude perfectly, "Sorry, Mimi." He dropped his eyes to the ground, like a scolded child apologizing to his parent.

"Explain, Koi." Her tone was harsh, Takato hadn't expected this sort of behavior from a great man, such as he, in front of a woman.

"He's the enemy!" he shot a glare at the knight, but Mimi shushed him.

"How do you know that?"

"He was hiding in the bushes! He was spying! He-"

"He was being hidden. We wanted to introduce him to you.. before you jumped to conclusions." She stated it dryly, he managed a whimper in reply. "You have no right to go about attacking our guests-"

"Guests? _Guests_!? I will not allow a _knight_ to stay on my territory! He will kill us all in our sleep! He-!"

"He's perfectly decent. He's a rebel now, too, as I've been told-…" she glanced over at Miyako and Sora, who smiled nervously. Hikari whistled innocently, staring up at the trees. "His.. _friends_ have disowned him, and now wish him dead."

Ruki staggered up, glaring hatefully at the man. He rounded on her, "What in the name of Hades did you think you were doing!? Bringing a knight to the premises is strictly _forbidden_. How many times have I _told_ you not to befriend demons, you little whelp!?"

"Don't yell at her! It's not her fault! I-" Takato was cut off by a shove from Ruki.

"Don't get involved in this." She hissed, he stammered objectively, but was silenced by her icy glare.

~*~

The assassin loitered bored-ly on the ceiling rafters of Yamato's room, playing his flute now and then, as they conversed the plan.

"So.. how would you like it done?" the Mage asked, looking down on the knight.

"I don't know." The blonde grunted. "Can't you _spell_ him to death or something!?" he snapped hotly.

The magician snorted, "I think not." He was rewarded with a queer glance. "_I_ major in illusions. Not power spells. It's much more effective, as well."

"How so, pray tell?"

"Well- for instance, I can make an illusion of his rebel friends and kill him that way. So, if he still draws breath, he'll accuse another. And- if their law is like yours- it'll be two lives for the price of one, easy." He explained it quite accurately, he knew what he was doing.

"Ah." Yamato mused at the murderer's account.

"-Or we could just find a centaur and have him trample the boy to death." The wizard uttered dryly.

"What do you mean?" Yamato glared at the man, who sat haughtily on the rafters.

"It's about all _you're_ paying for."

"What!?"

"Oh, well- a centaur would kill the boy for free. _I'm_ more expensive.. _miser_.." he mumbled incoherently, playing several sharp, angry notes on the flute.

The knight fumed, ripped a velvet bag from his waist and flung it up at the mage, who caught it deftly.

"Ah! Here's the first half of my pay now…" he weighed the bag in his hand, grinning to himself. "You do good business, friend knight." He beamed in a friendly manner, but anyone who knew the mage would know great evil lurked behind it.

Yamato seethed, but the assassin seemed satisfied. "_I hope your happy_._ **Friend**_."

"Oh, indeed. I am. Have a nice day." He smiled coldly, and, in a flash, was gone.

~*~

Ruki brooded angrily about in a great oak tree, leaning against it's strong boughs and grumbling. Takato watched her with a profound sense of uncertainty, she made him extremely nervous- with her cold attitude and tough approach. None of the others seemed to have that effect on him, strange.

"What're _you_ staring at?" he shook his head, realizing she was addressing him, and none too warmly.

"W-wha?" he blurted, losing most of his vocabulary in the deep recesses of his memory.

"_Moron_.." she spat, then stood and bounded through the branches of the forest, finding another place to brood in peace.

"Takato!" the other dragons skipped over to him, each with a wide grin plastered onto their pretty countenances.

"Huh?" he blinked confusedly at their secretive smiles.

"Com'on!" Hikari tugged at his arm.

"We want you to show us how to use _this_!" the orange-haired lass, Sora, held up his yew-wood bow; as Miyako held up his quiver of arrows; each of the long shafts' fletching were of white, spiraling feathers, flecked with black at the tips. The other girls nodded, with pleading, innocent eyes.

The knight gave in, "Alright! Alright!" They cheered and giggled amongst themselves a moment, before Takato took his bow and arrows, the girls leading him a bit deeper into the forest, into a small clearing- perfect for target practice.

He nocked the first arrow, beginning his explanation, "Okay, you start off like this-" he pulled the bowstring back. "Then aim…" he took sight on a small knot hole in the little elm tree. "And fire!" he let the arrow fly, it soared truly and wedged itself with a sound _thock_ into the knot-hole.

"Ooh! Wow! That's so neat!" the dragons all applauded, chattering praise all the while. "You're amazing! That was perfect!"

He blushed, "Aw.. I-it's nothing.." Yet they still praised him, making his already red blush intensify.

"Hn. Anyone could do _that_." Ruki snorted from her sitting place in the tree tops.

"Really? Then why don't _you_ show us!" Miyako shot back, not wanting her new friend to be outdone.

"Fine." Ruki landed perfectly, unlike the first time Takato had seen her, falling unceremoniously from a tall oak tree, with an arrow through her shoulder. He _did_ wonder whatever had happened to her arrow wound, as well.

She took the bow from the boy, grabbing another arrow and nocking it to the string. She pulled back the bowstring and aimed for the exact same knothole Takato's arrow stuck out from.

She still fumed from earlier, and this only made her angrier. As she let the string go, it snapped her smartly on her right arm and she dropped the bow in pain, while the arrow flew at an awkward angle, missing the intended target by a mile. She cursed under her breath, clutching her arm, which was turning red from the snap.

Her mood was worsened as the other girls began to laugh outrageously at her misfortune. Takato could see she was seething, eyes aflame with vague thoughts of revenge. He had to do something, he didn't want her to hate him. "Uh.. You know! You shouldn't shoot when you're angry! It messes up the entire shot! Really!" he offered helpfully, the girls stopped laughing and stared at him. Ruki watched him with a queer look on her face. "Ah… Clear your mind- and try again!" he nodded hyperly, the red-head rubbed her sore arm, and picked up the dropped bow.

She chose another arrow and nocked it to the string. Takato stepped cautiously behind her, taking hold of her arm and hands, shifting her grip every now and then, to make her aim more efficient. He nodded and she looked down the shaft, and let it go, the arrow flew true, splitting the knight's first arrow and landing squarely in the tree.

The others 'Ooh'-ed and applauded, mystified. Ruki gave her clan a small, triumphant grin that said, 'I told you I could do it.'

The boy smiled, happy for her. His help was rewarded with a blank glance, though it was much warmer than how she usually treated him. She gave him a long blank stare, then swiftly climbed up a nearby tree, disappearing from sight.

_Thank you_. Takato blinked, baffled by the mysterious voice in his head. It sounded like the red-headed dragon-girl, but she was no where to be found. Sir Yamato never mentioned anything about dragons being psychic before, it came as a slight shock, but he'd had enough strange things happen to him in the last twenty-four hours for this to mean much at all.

The rest of the day was spent at target practice. The girls learned quickly, and pretty soon the little elm they practiced on was riddled with arrows. When, at last, day reached it's end, the dragon-women lead the way back to camp.

They arrived within minutes, they knew every tree like the back of their hands, and Takato found himself surprised, if not fully amazed, at their home. It was just a clear patch of land surrounded by trees on all sides, but a great rock formation protruded from the ground and flattened at the point, a perfect imitation of a cliff. The cliff was a placement, for the Alpha male– whom he'd had the _luck_ of being attacked by earlier– as a lookout post, very handy. The land also included a small drinking pond, and the honor of having another, larger lake not even half a mile away.

Their camp was very comely, though Takato had to wonder where they slept, as they had no beds, no blankets, and no pillows.

Miyako seemed to appear, like smoke, behind him, "We sleep in the trees. You should try it."

He jerked forward, taken aback by what she'd said. Hikari shoved the purple-haired girl, "Miyako! It's not nice to read the minds of guests!"

She shoved the brunette back, retorting, "He asked a question!"

"It's still very rude!"

Sora shook her head, "They always find _something_ to argue about. Hey, you two! Back off, you can continue this later! We've-"

"Stay outta' this!" they rounded on the orange-haired girl, who grinned sheepishly, backing off. The two continued their argument in raised tones.

"Will you two just calm down!?" Mimi burst into their argument, the three began a chain of complaints and excuses, each talking at the same speed, completely jumbling the other's words, so no one outside the circle could understand what was going on; though they seemed to thoroughly understand each other perfectly.

Ruki landed stealthily behind the boy, and placed a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, spinning to face her, then relaxing as he recognized her face. "Oh.. just you." He sighed.

She nodded, stuffing a large piece of cloth into his hands, wool, as he deducted, from it's soft feel. "Take a bath. You need it." She sniffed the air, and crinkled her nose in disgust for emphasis. She then jerked her thumb in the direction of the larger lake.

Takato gave her a thoughtful glance, and nodded thankfully. "Thank you." He smiled, and she shrugged it off, climbing back into the trees and laying back, watching the argument.

He slung the towel over his shoulder, walking off in the direction the girl had offered.

"Such nice people- er, dragons." The boy smiled to himself.

An eerie gust of wind whispered harshly to the trees, sounding almost like the piping tune of a flute…


	3. Riddle Me

A/N: I've finally completed the Third chapter. ^_^ I'm so haaaappy. I'd like to personally thank my friends, Icy-chan, for depressing me into writing something somewhat serious, and to Cruzer-chan, your MeNtAlLy UnStAbLe HeNtAi SeNsE keeps me giggling fiendishly. ^_~ Oh, yes… I've finally decided to remove that… "first chapter" I hate so much. If you don't know what I'm talking about… good! You don't need to.

Disclaimer: I do not own yon characters! I merely use them as pawns in my evil fanfiction. Also, the riddles are MINE, and is the song! _I_ made them up! All by my-freaking-self! If you want to use one, please _ask_ me. Nicely, mind you.

Summary: As the War between knight and dragon rages on, the young knight's life takes a sharp and confusing turn. A riddle reveals his future, while an odd Mage finds amusement. Chapter 3, enjoy.

Additional Note:: Again, I stress that "Koi," also "the Alpha male," also "the blonde man," are all the same person—a Ginjika BlackWarGreymon. He was, basically, the only guy left without a part, so—viola!

Second Additional Note:: Sora's outburst, towards the end, is of another language, also mine. "Jiiraaka" meaning "Wolfsbane." Thanks, and good night/day/afternoon/whatever.

A Last Additional Note(This is the last one, I swear):: The chapters will be a little longer now, instead of my customary 6-pages. ^_^ Enjoy.

Alright, I Guess I Lied, One Last Note:: Any text in-between "~~  ~~" is an illusion as seen by whomever was stated. ^_^ Okay, _now_ you may enjoy.

Dragon's War

Chapter 3: Lakeside Illusions, Riddles and Confusion – Riddle Me

~*~

            Takato could never understand why Ruki acted the way she did. Even the tribe treated her as if she were something completely different from themselves. She _was_ a dragon, wasn't she? He'd even seen it himself, but that still didn't explain why she hated everyone that tried to befriend her. The Alpha male seemed to especially despise her, Takato remembered last night's dinner conversation with ease.

~*~~*~

            The blonde glanced across the campfire at the red-head, who ate in silence. Takato gulped down his food so fast, he nearly choked twice.

            Ruki reprimanded him, "Hey, Goggle-head, even us _dragons_ have manners."

            The alpha glowered, "_Demon_…" then shoved a handful of roasted acorns into his mouth.

            Mimi shook her head at him, "Be nice, Koi."

            He snorted. "There's no point in being _nice_ to a _demon_…"

~*~~*~

            At first, Takato had thought the blonde had been talking to him, but as he sat looking up at the stars through the leafy boughs of the trees, he'd realized the demon comments had been directed at the one next to him—Ruki.

            It was true, he thought, that she was a strange girl… but a _demon_?

            Takato yelped as he stepped directly into the shallow lake. Blinking he removed his foot from the chilly waters and shook it, as if doing so would get rid of the water in his boot. He sighed and removed the boot from his foot and tossed it against a tree to dry. Sighing, he kicked off the other shoe and removed both of his wool socks. Takato sat himself on an overhang and dipped his worn feet into the cool lake. He wiggled his toes and chuckled, watching his deformed reflection bob up and down in the clear water.

            He figured it was a fine temperature to swim in. The boy removed his shirt, and, gaining a curious expression, sniffed the clothing inquisitively, and immediately dropped it in the water, his face twisting into one of disgust. "_God_, do I really smell _that_ bad?"

            He fished out the shirt and dumped it in a wet pile next to him. He then stood and removed the rest of his clothes, and jumped into the water, laughing at nothing in particular.

~*~

            The Dragon clan sat in separate trees: Ruki in an old oak, Miyako straddling a thick ash bough, Hikari lay stretched out along a tough mahogany branch, Sora sat in the crook of a maple tree, poking at a hole where syrup was leaking, and Mimi and the alpha male both shared a hefty-looking beech tree.

            Hikari looked thoughtfully up through the thick leaves of the mahogany, simply stating, "I'm bored."

            Sora nodded, removing a sticky finger from the tree, "How about a song to pass the time?"

            Miyako jumped to the occasion, bursting out in a loud voice, "Heey, tell me what'cha want, what'cha really really want– yeah, tell me what'cha want—"

            **_Thock_**!

            She stopped instantly, turning and glaring at Ruki, who sat innocently in the oak tree, her knees partially curled to her chest, arms crossed in a brooding stance.

            "Very funny, _Ruki_." she stated the other's name with distaste.

            The redhead turned her head calmly, "What the hell are talking about, _Inoue_?"

            The bespeckled one huffed, pointing an accusing finger at her, "Don't lie, you threw that acorn!"

            Ruki snorted, "Hn, I did no such thing. You're imagining it."

            Miyako glowered, "You did, too! No one _else_ could've thrown an _acorn_ at me! _You're_ the one sitting in the oak!"

            The lilac-eyed girl simply shook her head, "I didn't. I _should_ have, but I didn't."

            Miyako snapped a small branch off the ash she was sitting on and prepared to hurl it at the girl, "Don't lie! I know you did!!"

            "Miyako! Put that down—!" Hikari snapped, she turned and gestured to the pink-haired girl, "Sora's right— Mimi, sing a song for us, please?"

            Miyako dropped the branch instantly, "Yeah! Sing!"

            Sora smiled, "Sing _Fly_!"

            Mimi looked at the blonde man, who waved a hand in submission, she grinned and cleared her throat. She hummed a soft tune to begin, then took a deep breath:

            "_Breathe in, breath out,_

            _Fly on the wings of dragons,_

_            Re-member now,_

_            An' soar all the way to the sun._

_            Fly high,_

_            An' no one will dare shoot you down,_

_            Hold tight,_

_            An' so you may live to see da-awn._

_            I sa-ay,_

_            My true love is the flight,_

_            Do stay,_

_            It is my passion for life_." Mimi made a face, staring confusedly up at the sea of green and yellow leaves.

            Hikari raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you going to finish it?"

            Mimi giggled half-heartedly, unconsciously rubbing the back of her neck, "I.. forgot…"

            The group laughed, and applauded anyway, even Ruki, but even then, she only clapped thrice. Miyako gave the alpha female a standing ovation, and nearly fell from the tree. She grasped the trunk fearfully, pulling herself back onto the branch and regaining balance. Once fully up, she sighed in relief.

            The lavender-headed girl perked up, she could vaguely hear an odd flute's song. "Did you hear that?"

            Hikari blinked, staring over at Miyako, "Hear what?"

            "It sounded like a flute— there it is again!" she jumped and looked hurriedly around.

            Sora shook her head, "I can't hear anything…"

            "But I heard it! Really–!"

            Ruki lazily opened a clear lilac eye, "You're mad."

            "No-! I heard it, really!" she slapped the trunk of the ash tree, "there! There it is! Hear it?" A round of _No_'s sounded simultaneously from everyone.

            Miyako sat in an awkward silence; the flute was driving her crazy. Why couldn't anyone else hear it? It was getting louder as well, but where was it coming from? And why?

            Silvery fog slowly circled the bespeckled dragon-girl. She did not notice, no one noticed— it was invisible to all but one person: a scruffy-haired mage with a silver flute. He grinned fiendishly, playing a soft, radiating tune, slightly peppy.

            Miyako let a sigh escape, and put her back to the trunk, letting it support her weight.

            ~~ She saw Sora look up from poking the maple tree, "How about we go down to the lake for a swim?" ~~

            Miyako sat strait up, "That's a great idea!"

            Hikari looked at Miyako, "What's a great idea, Miyako?"

            Miyako blinked, "Going down to the lake for a swim. Are you deaf?"

            The little brunette shook her head, "No."

            Sora smiled, "She's right, a good swim sounds nice."

            The bespeckled one was confused, she pointed at the orange-haired elder, "Of course it's good! Weren't _you_ the one that suggested it?"

            Ruki opened both eyes, frowning, "Now I _really_ think she's mad."

            Sora sat up, "What? When did I suggest it?"

            "Just a minute ago!"

            "But I didn't say anything a minute ago."

            "_What_?"

            The mage had to hold in his laughter. He clapped a gloved hand to his mouth, face reddening with the hilarity of it all. Illusions were _so_ fun…

            Mimi broke up the two arguing girls, "Hey! Stoppit— look, I'll admit as well, a swim sounds good, let's just forget who first suggested it, and go down to the lake."

            Miyako was silent for a moment, which was rare, but it didn't last long, "… okay, Mimi!" she practically leaped from the tree, landing on both feet, graceful as a cat. "I'll race you!" she then took off running in the direction of the lake.

            Sora looked on from the maple as the hyper lavender-headed one raced through the trees at amazing speed, "… well, _that_ isn't very fair. She got a head start!"

            Hikari giggled quietly, "Oh, Sora, even if _we_ had a five minute head start, she'd still beat us all three-fold. Of _course_ it's not fair. She's twice as fast as all of us _combined_."

            The orange-haired elder thought for a moment, then shrugged. "You're right." She then slid carefully out of the maple.

            The rest followed their hyper friend as fast as they could.

            Miyako was bouncing around, waiting for the others on the soft ground by the freshwater lake. The silver fog still surrounded her, clouding her vision, although she did not, and could not, see it.

            She saw Mimi and the others emerge from the trees, and waved hyperly to them.

            ~~ Hikari waved back, and pointed to the tall, cliff-like rocks that towered over the lake's edge. "I dare you to dive from up there!" ~~

            Hikari waved to Miyako, "Hi, Miyako!"

            The bespeckled one cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling back, "You're on!!" she then turned and began to climb the limestone rocks that had formed by the water's edge.

            Mimi turned, watching the girl climb, "What's she up to?"

            The brunette shook her head, "I don't know, all she said was 'you're on.' What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

            The alpha male watched the girl balance precariously on the edge of the farthest-protruding rock. She waved to them, kicking off her torn pants and shirt. The man's gold-colored eyes widened, "She's going to dive!"

            Mimi ran forward, shouting up at Miyako, "Get down from there! Are you listening to me-!? Get down _now_!!" The bespeckled girl stepped back several paces from the edge; thinking she had heard, Mimi sighed in relief.

            Miyako broke into a run, leaping from the cliff, arching in a perfect swan dive, hurtling towards the water at a rapid speed.

            Hikari screamed, "Miyako—!!"

            The redhead stared in bewilderment, "What the hell is she _doing_!?"

            The diving girl lost her balance in the air, and her lower half swung forward, and she hit the water on her back, throwing up gallons of water with the splash. When the water settled again, the group realized Miyako had sunk.

            Takato stood strait up in the water upon hearing, and seeing, the giant wave of water thrown up in the center of the lake.

            The girls all turned, staring at him with wide eyes. The alpha gazed, uninterested, at him for a second or two, then turned and looked at the shocked/disturbed/ecstatic faces of the rest of the clan. His expression was one of something close to dismay as he nudged a stunned Mimi.

            The mage fell onto his back, laughing uproariously, kicking up leaves and dirt as he thrashed around. Finally calming, he stood quietly and let his indigo cloak drop carelessly from his shoulders. He removed his gloves, and slipped an odd pair of goggles over his eyes. He kicked off his thick leather boots, and broke into a sprint.

            Now was the time to make his appearance!

            A dark figure burst from the trees at a dash, snapping all of the clan from their shock. Takato, relieved, ducked back into the water for cover, blushing the brightest red anyone could imagine. The stranger dived head-long into the water with all the grace of a duck. He disappeared below the surface, and reemerged with the body of an unconscious Miyako.

            The stranger wore long, purplish pants, and a sleeveless indigo shirt tucked into them. The most intriguing feature of him, oddly enough, were the goggles he wore. Two giant lenses on a stretchy piece of black rope is what they looked to be. They fit him quite well, though.

            Upon seeing the goggles, Hikari jumped forward, pointing, "Hey! I recognize those!"

            Mimi squinted to see, "You're right—they _are_ kind of similar…"

            Sora rushed forward and helped the foreigner to pull Miyako to shore. She tapped the girl's cheek softly, and smiled as the bespeckled girl winced and groaned as she coughed up intruding water from her lungs. The orange-haired elder looked up to thank the stranger, but he was gone.

            Mimi glared at Miyako as she painfully sat up, her back bright red from impact with the water. The alpha female waited until she had the other's full attention, "… you're _insane_, you know that!? I told you not to dive, but did you listen!? No! And look what happened—you could've killed yourself!"

            Miyako's bottom lip trembled, "I'm sorry, Mimi… Hikari dared me to! I couldn't—"

            "_What_!?" Mimi's voice hit an unusually high octave, even for her. She whirled to face Hikari, "you _what_!?"

            The brunette quickly shook her head, "I didn't, I didn't– I swear!!"

            The mage shook his head violently, chuckling, as water sprayed out from his sopping reddish-brown hair. He flopped down in the soft moss, and picked up his flute, piping a quick note before starting a perky victory song to boost his already-mountain-high ego.

            Dragons were so fun to play with!

            Miyako sulked quietly between two jutting rocks that dipped into the lake. The flute was driving her crazy, but she could never mention it to them. They already thought she was insane, so why push it with imaginary flutes? She looked up, the others were talking, but not about her—well, partially about her. They'd mentioned something about a strange man dragging her from the water.

            Hikari watched a leaf floating across the water's surface. "I still think I've seen those goggles somewhere before."

            "And the man? Know _him_, too?" Ruki half-glared at the brunette. She leaned on a sloping ledge, a foot or so away from Sora. She took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly.

            She shook her head, "No, I've never seen him before. Never in my whole life." Hikari sniffled, and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. For some odd reason, she was becoming congested.

            Sora sighed, and laid her head on the short, sloping ledge. She blinked, and watched a strange little plant wavering in the light breeze. It stood tall on its little green stem, its blue flower's largest petal was bent forward, like a hood. After a moment, Sora's auburn eyes widened, she gasped and jumped back into the water, yelling, "Jiiraaka! Jiiraaka!" she sniffed and sneezed violently, then sneezed again, and again, and again!

            The tribe panicked briefly, quickly skirting away from the area, and pulling Sora out of range of the flower's scent. She calmed, coughed, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

            Takato looked at the little flower, how could something so small cause such a fuss? "What's the problem? It's just a flower."

            Ruki glared, "Not just any _flower_, moron, Wolfsbane. It's poisonous to dragons."

            Even the alpha male was scared of going near it. He floated behind all the others, gold eyes fixated on the little flower in what seemed to be fear, his pupils contracting to pinpoints. Out of all the dragons, he seemed to be the one most effected. As he watched the blossom, he mumbled softly, incoherently at first, but it became louder as he began to tremble. His throat constricted, and his breaths came in sharp rasps. "The flower… the flower… the flower.. the flower.. the flower, the flower, the flower…"

            Mimi looked over her shoulder. Her soft brown eyes widened, "Oh, no—"

            Takato raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "What's happening, what's wrong with him?"

            Ruki jabbed him sharply in the ribs, "Alpha's 'fraid of flowers."

            Miyako nodded, watching their alpha as he shivered, eyes still riveted on the Wolfsbane. "But we don't know why. We've never known why. He just won't tell us…"

            Hikari prodded Ruki softly, "Get rid of the flower, it doesn't affect _you_."

            The redhead turned sharply, "And how do you know _that_?"

            The brunette shrugged lightly, "You were sitting right next to it."

            Ruki gave a quick glare, then stood and waded over to the sloping ledge, picking up a small flat rock and reached over to the flower. She brought the rock down and smashed the poisonous plant, grinding it into the ground with a few sharp twists.

            As if snapping from a trance, the alpha shook his head, his eyes dilating back to their original diameter. He breathed deep, still shaken, and turned his back to the ledge.

            Sora lightly tapped the blonde on his brawny shoulder, "Are you al—"

            A surly hiss answered her. "_Get away from me_…" The elder backed away warily, taking shelter behind a brightly blushing Takato.

            She leaned over, whispering into the boy's ear, "He's only like this around flowers."

            Miyako disappeared beneath the water's surface, and popped up directly behind Sora, "I wanna join!" she then attached herself to the boy's arm. She smiled contentedly, "Not only cute, he's soft, too."

            Had it been possible, Takato would have blushed brighter. But it was not; Takato merely whimpered quietly to himself.

            Mimi floated a foot or so from Miyako, looking back at the blonde with a concerned expression. "Maybe it would be best if we returned to camp."

            Sober agreements slowly circled through the group, and they returned to shore.

            Takato slapped at a gnat that had bitten his arm as he trailed behind the leading clan of dragons. He then adjusted his shirt, which clung to his damp body. Damn this stupid shirt! He thought, and to hell with these freaking bugs!

            Ruki looked over her shoulder, glaring, "Stop complaining, Goggle-head."

            Sora looked back, nodding, "If the shirt bothers you so much, just take it off."

            Miyako skipped lightly, grinning at the thought, "Yeah!"

            "Oh, well, alri—" Takato stopped, "what did you just say?" he pointed to Sora.

            She shrugged, "I said: if the shirt bothers you so much, take it off."

            The boy gained a somewhat fearful expression, "How did you know? I never said anything—"

            "Shut _up_, already, Matsuda, it's not as uncommon as you would think." Ruki jabbed Hikari with her fist, "_you_ explain it to him."

            Hikari winced, rubbed her arm where Ruki had hit, then smiled at the boy, "Ruki's right, its not so uncommon. You see, dragons can read the mind of others," upon seeing Takato's shocked reaction, she quickly added, "but not everything, just the surface things, nothing… _personal_." The boy nodded, gulped, and walked on in silence.

            Ruki cursed loudly as she ran directly into Mimi, "Dammit, what the hell do you—" she stepped back from the girl, and stared at the giant lion-like creature before them, blocking their path back to the camp. "…Oh."

            Sora softly gripped Hikari's shoulders, auburn eyes never leaving the monster's form, she hissed in a low tone, "This way, guys, let's just go around it…"

            The creature snorted, stating in a clear voice. "I'm _not_ an It." He had an enormous, well developed lion body, and the head of a man. An Egyptian head-cloth covered his short, crimson-red hair. His eyes were dark, black as coals.

            The alpha stepped cautiously forward, growling, "Who are you?"

            The cat-man smirked, "I am that is."

            The blonde gave a fierce glare, "That isn't an answer."

            Again, the beast smiled, answering in a sing-song voice, "_I am the one who seeks of you,_

_            The Keeper of Knowledge, it is true._

_            Don't run away, I will not bite,_

_            Unless you do not get this right!_"

            Miyako tapped Mimi on the shoulder, "I think I've heard that one before—it's a riddle, the Sphinx, the Sphinx!"

            The cat-man smiled again, nodding, "Very good."

            The alpha spoke again, realizing this was something of a question-game. "From where do you come, and who sends you?"

            The Sphinx closed his eyes, again chanting, "_To the place where men fear to go,_

_            To the land of none and always-snow,_

_            Nest of gold, with claws of steel,_

_            Where even the bravest man will kneel._

            _Sees all, knows all,_

_            And upon you now he will call,_

_            Nest of gold, claws of steel,_

_            His brute strength will make you reel._"

            Hikari jumped up and down, "The griffin, the griffin! And his mountain!"

            The Sphinx blinked in bewilderment at the girl, "My, so fast? Ah, well, very good." He then nodded to the alpha.

            "So, you are the Griffin's messenger, but what does that have to do with _us_?"

            The Sphinx nodded again, chanting another riddle, "_Riddle me rye, riddle me roo,_

_            This is what I have for you–_

_            Take what you get after you eat,_

_            It doesn't go, never complete._

_            Then take what happens as the years go by,_

_            When strength ebbs like weasel sly._

_            Combine them together and what do you get?_

_            Answer this, and you're set._"

            Hikari shrugged, "You get leftovers after you eat. They're not complete."

            Sora sighed, blankly stating, "One big mess, is what."

            Takato shuffled forward, "You age as the years go by."

            Mimi looked at the sky through the sea of leaves as she tried to put two and two together, "Leftovers and aging? Lefaging? Over-aging?" she put her hands to her temples, "I'm confused, now…"

            Miyako shrugged, "I dunno."

            Ruki tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Maybe Sora had it right, a mess doesn't go until someone cleans it. And if you get a mess after you eat, it's not really complete, is it?"

            "Mess-aging?" Mimi offered, blinking.

            Miyako snapped her fingers, "Put the words together, but leave out –ing!"

            The alpha female raised an eyebrow, "Mess-age?"

            "Message!" Miyako hopped up and down hyperly, "Ruki, you're brilliant! It's a message the Sphinx has for us! Right? I'm right, aren't I? Admit it, I'm right!"

            The beast took a step back from the lavender-haired oddity, slightly bewildered. "Yes, you're correct."

            The alpha gave the clan the smallest of smiles, then returned his attention to the Sphinx, "What is your message?"

            The cat-man took a deep breath, and began to chant, "_Boy of Bronze has found his place,_

_            Yet danger lurks so near._

_            He cannot help where he was raised,_

_            But the dragon is not to be feared._

_            Mighty warrior wilt he become,_

_            When blood of beast arises._

_            Stand your ground, turn not and run,_

_            He is filled to the brim with surprises._

_            A treacherous friend will join the quest,_

_            As will the Horse's Mace._

_            The Mages that know what is best,_

_            And stag that likes to race._

_            The Pale Flame that rules the forest,_

_            Shall never leave his side._

_            Blonde that did once detest,_

_            Compassion of every kind._

_            So will you not go forward,_

_            And save them an awful fate?_

_            And will you not answer my riddle,_

_            Before it is too late?_" once finished, he gasped, trying to regain what breath had been lost while he'd recited. After giving his head a reassuring shake, he smiled lightly at the group, then turned and bounded off through the thick forest.

            Miyako was the first to voice her confusion, "Boy of Bronze? Who's that? How can a boy be bronze?"

            The alpha swatted at a fly, mumbling, "Not _literally_, Inoue, he means _him_, the demon-boy. A Knight was once called a Bronze Man."

            Mimi shoved him lightly, "Stop making sport of him, it's not his fault. Not completely, anyway."

            Hikari interrupted, "The second line! That's what it said, '_He cannot help where he was raised_'!"

            Ruki raised an eyebrow, overlooking the scrawny ex-knight. She snorted, the amusement clearly audible in her voice, "Mighty _warrior_? More like a mighty wimp." The boy immediately blushed.

            Sora shook her head at the girl's behavior, "Well, it _did_ say he would be one when the Blood of Beast arises, whatever that is."

            Hikari cocked her head to the side, watching Takato, "It also said you'd find a treacherous friend—maybe a thief of some sort? Or an elf?" she then looked up at the sky, as most of the clan seemed prone to do. "but where have I heard _Horse's Mace_ before? …_somewhere_, I know I have—ooh, I can't remember!" she bit her lip and scuffed the dirt with a bare foot.

            Miyako smiled, "And a stag that likes to race? Hm, that could take some looking-for— I know of several stags that like to race."

            Ruki unconsciously scratched her shoulder as she mumbled to herself, "Pale flame that rules the forest? What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean? How can a flame rule a forest?"

            The alpha had been watching them converse, at last, he decided to clear up the odd convictions of the clan. "It's the boy's future, so we'll see what it means in due time. A flame _can_ rule the forest, the cat was probably just using a metaphor. The Pale Flame is probably a person."

            "That rules the forest? No one rules the forest but beasts, no _people_."

            The alpha glared, hissing, "Narrow-minded _demon_."

            Ruki returned his glare with one of her own.

            Mimi sighed, slowly shaking her head, "Not again…"

~*~

            The Sphinx scrambled over the rocky ledge of Gryphon's Mount, the tallest mountain in the land. Digging his claws into the dirt, he slowly but surely pulled himself up.

            Once up, he sat, looking down, panting with exertion. He sighed, and sat down, relieved for the duty to be over with. He lied down on the sun-warmed earth, and stretched out for a quick cat-nap. He rolled onto his back, letting the sun wash over his furry, lion's belly.

            A shadow fell over his face, his eyes snapped open, trying to focus on the great human-like figure silhouetted against the sun. His voice sounded slightly strangled when he spoke, "Yes, sire?"

            He was silent. It was the Griffin the sphinx spoke to, a tall, blonde boy with azure eyes of remarkable clarity. His blonde hair was scruffy and unkempt, his clothes seemed fairly new, though. His shirt was almost completely sleeveless, and a beautiful golden-yellow color, its collar lined with brown, scarlet, blue, and tawny colored feathers. His pants came to his calves, and were a simple gray-brown. On each of his wrists was a yellow band of linen, from which hung dangerous-looking talons, although they were shaped like an eagle's, they were big enough to be a lion's claw.

            He seemed to be frowning, maybe he was angry, or was he content? One could never really tell the mood of a griffin by his face, he could frown when he was happy, and smile when he was frustrated. An odd beast, the griffin.

            The griffin nodded to the sphinx, "A job properly done."

            The sphinx turned over onto his stomach, blinking against the sun's light, "So glad you think so."

            The blonde rolled his eyes, "You're horrible at lying, give it up, Koushirou."

            The sphinx, Koushirou, sighed, "Yes, I _know_, but it was worth a try, wasn't it?"

            The griffin shook his head slowly, "Not with me."

            "Tch, you and your stupid know-it-all nature."

            He pulled a shocked face, "Oh! And look who's talking, Mister Riddle-Me!"

            Koushirou stood, "Bah, what do you know?"

            "Everything."

            The red-headed cat-man glared, pointing a claw in a disciplinary manner, "Don't you _dare_ get cheeky with me."

            The griffin chuckled, then laughed. Koushirou joined him, it was an inside joke betwixt the two of them. But what else could one do, being secluded on a lonely mountain with a smart-mouthed companion? And, in their case, both could be quite pert when it came down to it.

~*~


	4. A Knight of Plot

A/N: Hello, again! Cruzer has finally pestered me off my fat arse to post this! Kudos to her! ~Anyway… This chapter has several semi-cliffhangers within it- but there's purpose behind all of them. Trust me.

Disclaimer?: I own Digimon, I own Digimon, I own Digimon… wait, no… aw, crap, no I don't. *hangs head sadly*

Summary?: As War hovers over the lives of the dragons; the knight finds himself an ally? Meanwhile- The Chief of Knights drags and unwilling girl to his side; and the Griffin has a startling conversation. Chapter 4, enjoy.

Additional Note:: "Neo," for those who are yet unaware, is from the manga V-Tamers(an AU of Digimon Adventure starring a slightly smarter Taichi.) Neo is psychotic and evil. Literally.

Other Note:: If you have any other questions concerning the whereabouts of certain characters, or the fate of certain characters- all I can say as of now is, "Sore wa himitsu desu." Other questions/flames/rants/suggestions(even though the plot is mapped out fairly well{thank you, Cruzer-chan}) are welcomed here.

A Last Note: "abundant dulcibus vitiis, Iamato" means "Nobody is perfect, Yamato"

One Ooooother Little Note: I liked ragging on Takato in this one. Please don't flame me. I'm naturally a bashing type of person. Just ask Cruzer!

Rant:: Damn! Strikethru won't show up! Er, well, just keep in mind, during the Letter Scene down towards the center, there, *points* the sentances that are unfinished were _supposed_ to have a line through them. But- alas- FF.N seems to not allow that. *shrugs* Ah, well. Che sara, sara.

Dragon's War

Chapter 4: Abundant Dulcibus Vitiis, Iamato – A Knight of Plot

~*~*~*~

Takato glanced at the herb in his hand, then back at the little grove, trying to match the features, leaf to leaf. Hoping he wouldn't get accused of trying to poison his new friends, Takato began pulling the herbs up by the root. He'd forgotten if Sora had said she needed just the root, the leaves, or the entire plant. So, he improvised.

            The knight hesitated, listening intently.

            Nothing. Takato sighed in relief, and continued picking. The plant refused to budge.

            Again, Takato focused on a high-pitched whistle that seemed to come from all around him. After a moment of mournful whining, the whistle died into the wind. The sound sent a chill down the knight's spine.

            Takato shuddered, and not without reason. He glanced around, seeing a lone, dark figure sitting on a tree stump, through a small path that he was sure had not been there before. Curiosity reigned in his mind, and he didn't bother thinking of what consequences might come of just walking up to him.

            Stepping lightly through the mysterious path, Takato openly approached the man. It was a human, obviously, and he wore a long draping purplish cloak, with matching pants that were far too baggy for his slim figure. The thing that interested Takato the most, though, was the shiny pair of goggles that hung about his neck.

            The man played a slow, chilling song on the silvery flute in his hands. And when he was done he looked up at Takato with big chocolate eyes. There was an awkward silence between them, before the man gave him a broad smile. He then returned to the flute.

            Takato swallowed the lump in his throat, forcing out a sentence, "Hello, I'm… T-Takato."

            The man looked up again, and smiled. Takato was not sure if it was sincere or not, but it made him feel a little better. He had a somewhat raspy voice, boyish in a way. "Daisuke. Charmed." He returned to his flute, yet again.

            Takato looked over his shoulder, realizing the path he'd come was gone again. He turned back to the man, "What're you doing way out here?"

            Daisuke shrugged.

            Takato had a small inkling, "You lost?"

            The chocolate eyes focused on him, and a one-sided smile crossed Daisuke's face. "All who wander are not lost… wait, no. Er, not all who wander are lost." He nodded quickly to himself, "Yeah. That's what I meant." He noticed Takato's raised eyebrow, "What?"

            "Uh, nothing."

            Daisuke looked somewhat disappointed, but he started the conversation without a problem. "So why are you out here, Takato?"

            "Oh, I was… uh," Takato glanced at the plant in his hand, "g-gathering herbs."

            The man tilted his head to the side, "Really? What're you looking for?"

            The knight tried to recall its name, but had no luck. "Uh, I… forgot…"

            Daisuke took the plant from his hand and glanced at it for a moment or two before glancing curiously back up at the boy, "Mint? You forgot it was mint?"

            Takato shrugged helplessly.

            He sniffed the leaf, "Mm, Rosemary." then handed the plant back to Takato, "Need it for it's oil, right? Can make a bunch of liniments. Real useful." Takato looked confused. Daisuke chuckled, "I know someone in the herb business, myself. Won't shut up about it."

            The knight couldn't help but chortle. It reminded him of Miyako's constant chatter. "I think I know that feeling."

            Daisuke smiled, "You got siblings?"

            Takato shook his head. "No, I'm an only child."

            The scruffy-haired man nodded, "Me, too."

            Silence returned.

            Daisuke patted a bare spot next to him on the stump, "Sit." It sounded a bit more like an order than an invitation, but Takato did as he said, anyway. "So… Takato…"

            The boy shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah…?"

            "You have any… friends?"

            Takato forgot the soreness of his rump and turned to the man with a questioning look on his face. "Of course I do."

            Daisuke unconsciously fiddled with the flute in his hands, his eyes dropping to the ground, as if embarrassed. "Oh…"

            "…Why?"

            The man turned his eyes to the sky, "N-no reason. You should get back to them."

            The knight's question left his mind as he was filled with concern. "Why?"

            Daisuke sounded as if something was caught in his throat. "No reason."

            Takato stared hard at the man in the purple cloak. "Do _you_ have friends, Daisuke?"

            He nodded quickly, speaking almost as fast as Mimi and Miyako _combined_. "Of _course_ I have friends! Why _wouldn't_ I have friends? What kind of loser… doesn't have… friends…?" Daisuke seemed to break down more the harder Takato stared. Now, he just sounded pitiful, "…I _used_ to."

            "_Used to_?" Takato raised both eyebrows, bewildered. "How is that possible?"

            "They're… _gone_," the man clutched the flute tightly, "they're all dead."

            "Oh," the knight softened, patting the other's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Daisuke. I… I didn't know."

            The man nodded, whispering in a barely audible voice, "_Me_,_ too_…"

            Takato shifted uncomfortably again. "I'm _really_ sorry– I swear, I didn't… if I had known, I wouldn't of…"

            "Nah– n-no, i-it's alright. I'm used to it."

            "You shouldn't have to be."

            "Ah– thanks for your concern, but I'm okay with it…" Daisuke stared at the ground, not daring to look Takato in the eye, it seemed.

            "Really, you shouldn't have to-"

            Daisuke raised his hand, stopping Takato mid-sentence. "I said: it's _okay_." It was obvious he did not want to push the subject. He pulled up his legs and hugged his knees, dark eyes growing darker as he fell into that regretful depression.

            Takato swung his legs, watching as leaves fluttered about as he kicked a small pile into the air. After a moment, he turned back to Daisuke. "_I'll_ be your friend… Dai."

            It was as if something in his head had lit a match. His chocolate eyes brightened considerably as he jumped up, "Really? You will? No fooling? You're not just trying to be nice, are you?"

            Takato chuckled, "No fooling." He stuck out his hand, the man gripped it tightly, and they shared a hearty handshake. "Friends forever."

            Daisuke only smiled.

            Takato's grin grew broader, "Come meet my other friends."

~*~

            Yamato tapped his foot impatiently as he stood practically motionless in his private study. The clicks made by his heavy boot resounded, not bothering him in the least as he continued to ponder.

            Another man stood on the other side of the room, awaiting the blonde's newest orders. His soft brown hair stuck up and off to the side, a few strands hanging onto his forehead. His cobalt eyes watched thoughtfully as a small grin played on his handsome  tanned face. He fingered the pommel of his short sword, tapping it lightly with his fingers, trying to remember the lyrics to a song he once knew.

            The knight did not notice his leader's head snap up. Yamato turned sharply, rudely throwing the other from his reverie. "Akiyama!"

            The man jumped to attention, saluting smartly. "Aye, sire?"

            "I want you to gather a few sturdy men and join me at the gate." The blonde picked up a belt from the desk and buckled it around his waist; then he grabbed a silver gauntlet, slipping it over his left hand.

            Akiyama nodded obediently, "Aye, sire." He saluted again and walked from the study, leaving Yamato alone. After a moment, the knight walked back in, intoning almost casually, "Prepare your horse?"

            Cunning azure eyes focused on the nonchalant knight, "No. I'll walk, today." The underling nodded and walked away again.

            Yamato adjusted his tunic, then the long, white sleeves of his linen shirt. He had to look professional for the commoners in town.

~

            Yamato strutted along the dirt path, his right hand beside him, yet walking slightly behind. A cold smile crossed the blonde's face, "Ryo…"

            The brown-haired knight sped up a bit, matching Yamato's stride. "Aye?"

            "I noticed you did not inquire as to _why_."

            Akiyama shrugged, "I'm starting to find it's better not to."

            The paladin glanced at the knight with a grin that could have frozen over Hell. "Indeed… curiosity can be one's undoing, am I right?"

            Ryo simply nodded slightly, tilting his head to both sides to show his neutrality, not wanting to agree nor disagree.

            "It can be rewarding, as well, Akiyama. Right…?"

            The knight could tell Yamato was toying with his mind, challenging him to ask. After a short-lived mental debate as to the lesser evil, Ryo's curiosity broke through, "Sire… why _are_ we going to.. to town?" He secretly hoped asking was not as big a mistake as he thought it would be.

            The blonde threw him a glance that said 'come and find out.' Ryo disliked it, but dared not express his opinion. He had never really liked Yamato's plans, whether it be a private archery contest, or an insane fox-hunt. But order was order, justice was justice. If Yamato said that dragon was dangerous, who was he to disagree?

~

            The plebeians kneeled to Yamato as he passed, glancing quickly at each shop as they marched. Finally, they came to the houses in the village. Yamato led his crew strait to the Matsuda home.

            With the knuckle of his silver gauntlet, Yamato knocked on the light wood door. It opened a crack, enough for a worried set of eyes to peer out. They widened immediately, and the door slammed in the knight's face.

            Yamato, unperturbed, knocked again, but more insistently.

            "Go away! Takato is not here!" came a muffled female voice from behind the wood.

            Again, the knight calmly knocked on the door. He spoke in a soft voice through the door, "Open the door, ma'am. I have questions I would like to ask."

            "Leave us be!" was her husband's gruff reply.

            Yamato raised his voice slightly, to a more commanding tone. "Please open the door. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

            "We know nothing! Leave us in peace!"

            Yamato stared solemnly at the wooden door, not saying a word.

            Ryo was baffled by his leader's calm. It did not seem like him at all!

            The paladin's voice echoed softly, but sternly through the minds of every one of his followers. "… Kill them."

            It surprised Ryo to hear Yamato say such a thing. A fox-hunt was one thing- but to kill innocent people? Ryo Akiyama sighed– it was not his place to disagree with orders– and raised a hand to signal the others. Ryo drew his sword and aimed his foot for just below the lock. With one powerful kick, the door's lock snapped and the knights filed in one by one.

            Mister Matsuda stood in front of his wife, trying to protect her. Yamato pointed at the man, and Ryo tackled and brought him down easily. With the help of another knight, Ryo dragged the man outside to be executed. Yamato halted the knight who held his dagger to the throat of the woman, and strode coolly to her.

            "…Are you ready to answer my questions now, miss Matsuda?" his tone was deathly calm. Tears tricked down her cheeks, yet she glared and shook her head, refusing to speak. "Oh, really?" the blonde shook his head almost pityingly. "Too bad." He gestured to the follower with his knife at her throat, and nodded. Yamato turned his back to them, smiling crookedly as a last gasp arose from Takato's mother. The blonde then walked up the stairs to the boy's room, examining every nook and cranny of his plain room with sharp azure eyes.

            He found many assorted things, ranging from drawings to small stuffed toys. Nothing seemed to hint anything at all. The boy had obviously not come here since he'd left the guild. It was too clean.

            Yamato picked up several papers, fingering through them boredly.

            Cat, cat, dog, dog, dog, dog, lizard… some sort of big metal thing with a feather. Oh, wait, no, that was a pirate.

            A pirate…?

            The blonde wrinkled his nose in disgust, a strange boy he'd recruited, indeed! He put the papers back down, in a neat stack. To the right of them, he found a small book- a journal, perhaps? Yamato picked it up and opened it, reading the latest entry to date, which seemed to be from several months ago:

_            April 9th:_

_                        Diary,_

_            You won't believe this! Sir Ishida's promoted me to knight! I'm so excited, I can hardly keep still. Juri! I must tell Juri! She'll be so happy for me, I'm sure!_

            Yamato raised an eyebrow. What sort of boy called his journal a "diary"? Wasn't that what women called their journals? And who was this _Juri_? The blonde decided more research was necessary. He continued to flip through the pages of the journal, until he came to a remote piece of parchment stuck between the pages. He pulled it out and unfolded it, noting the writing was much neater than any of his other entries.

_            Dear Juri,_

_            I have just forgotten everything I wanted to write…_

            Yamato shook his head, pitying the boy for ever writing such a thing. No wonder he never sent this. The blonde continued to read, nonetheless.

            _I can't help but think I'm missing something. Have you ever felt that feeling Do you know what I mean? That little hole that's in your heart where something should be but isn't?_

            Yamato was surprised how repetitive his ex-follower was. Skipping over a few lines, the blonde continued to read.

            _It's getting harder to write the longer I stall… I should get it over with._

_            Juri, I know we've been friends for the longest time… I just want to say…_

_            I lik_

_            I lo_

_            I don't dislik_

_            …I enjoy your company very very much. Can we continue to be really good friends??????_

            Yamato stared bemusedly. He had no idea the boy was so shy!

_                                                                                    Lo_

_                                                                                    From_

_                                                                                    Your frien_

_                                                                                    Sincerely,_

                                                                                                Takato 

            Yamato had to restrain himself from bursting into laughter right there. How in the wretched lands of Hell had _that_ boy come to be one of the best knights in the guild? The blonde had seen him fighting several times, he had a lot of heart thrown into every slash and block. Quite good, really.

            Yet he was so _shy_? Was it even _possible_? It seemed to be. But how?

            Nevermind, it didn't matter; thought Yamato. All that mattered now was finding this Juri person. The blonde set the book down and dug through the stacks of papers for an address.

            After a moment of searching, Yamato realized it was getting him nowhere. He sighed and leaned against the desk, picking up another stack of drawings and thumbing through them for his own amusement, making up stupid themes for them in his mind.

            Sword, dog, dragon breathing fire, portrait of his mother, portrait of his father, portrait of his imaginary goldfish, portrait of his imaginary frie—

            Yamato dropped the other papers and stared at the drawing he currently held. This was one of the boy's better sketches. It was a girl, or so Yamato supposed, with a pigtail on one side of her head. She smiled brightly. Yamato's eyes focused on the one word scrawled below the portrait:

JURI KATOU 

~

            Yamato thundered down the steps, taking the other knights by surprise as he slammed his fist onto the table. Ryo dropped his stolen beaker, and saluted. The rest followed suit, all staring bewilderedly at the blonde.

            He smirked, and carefully held up the drawing. "Does anyone recognize this girl?"

            Ryo narrowed his eyes and stepped closer, minutely examining the drawing. "I _think_ I've seen her, sire."

            Another knight nodded, "Aye. Always hanging around that tavern."

            A third knight confirmed the sightings with a nod. "I think her parents own it."

            "She's a waitress there every once in a while, isn't she?"

            "Aye, but-"

            "Silence!" Yamato's voice cut through the air like a knife. "…Where is this tavern?"

            Ryo raised a hand slowly. The blonde focused his fierce azure eyes on the knight, who shakily pointed to his right, "Just down the road.. small place- not hard to find."

            Yamato smiled coldly, "Good. Come, then, boys." The leader then strode out the door, stepping purposely on mister Matsuda's lifeless carcass, and continued down the road. Ryo and the others followed after.

            It did not take long. Akiyama had been right, the tavern wasn't hard to find at all. They entered, the blonde leading, as usual.

            Yamato smiled at the knights, "Take a seat, kick back, and _relax_ for now! Not you, Akiyama- you come with me." Ryo obediently stood and walked to the blonde's side.

            The man behind the counter acknowledged the knights with a nod, "What will it be?"

            Yamato approached him coolly, "Ale for my buddies, over there," he jerked a thumb at the chatting knights that filled three small tables.

            The man nodded, counting the number of heads, then calling out loud, "JURI! Get down here!"

            Yamato perked at the name, but said nothing.

            A girl of roughly sixteen walked down the steps, a wondering expression on her face. "Yes?"

            The man started filling beakers and setting them on the counter. "Take these to the men over there."

            The girl nodded, picking up a tray and fitting five beakers on it, balancing them easily as she carried it to one of the tables. She set one beaker per knight, went back for several more beakers, then distributed them. She had obviously done this many times in the past.

            When she was finished passing around the drinks, she went back behind the counter; awaiting further instructions, if any. Yamato approached her, smiling. "Young miss, please tell me where I can find a… _Juri_."

            She glanced at him in a surprised manner, answering in a polite tone. "_I_ am Juri… why?

            The blonde nodded, still smiling in an unnervingly friendly manner, "I have an apprentice… his name is Matsuda.. Takato, I believe. He always spoke of a sweet girl he knew, and I was just curious. Do you know him, by chance?"

            Her eyes lit up and she smiled brightly, "Takato! I know him! He's my best friend. How's he doing, sir? I haven't heard from him in the longest time…"

            Yamato leaned against the counter, a hand on his hip, acting as if he was here _just_ to chat. He put on a somewhat disappointed face, "Oh, well- that's part of the problem, you see…"

            The young waitress looked horribly dismayed. She seemed about ready to cry. "What? What's happened?"

            The blonde continued in a sympathetic voice. "We're looking for him. He'd spoken about you _so_ much, I thought it would be worth a try to ask you if you'd seen him."

            She shook her head, "No, sir. I've not seen hide nor hair of him since he left two, three years, or so, ago. I've gotten a few letters, but they aren't very clarifying."

            "You're sure…?" Yamato raised an eyebrow in what seemed to be innocent disappointment; but Ryo knew better.

            Juri nodded quickly, "Oh, yes. If I'd heard anything, I would have told you."

            The stupid girl obviously did not know the height of Yamato's cunning. He gestured to the door at the front of the bar, "I have other news to tell, miss Katou. If you would please step outside with me, we can speak in private."

            The blonde noticed mister Katou's suspicious glare, but chose to ignore it. Juri followed him anxiously, as if truly expecting him to tell her the actual whereabouts of the accursed Matsuda boy. Ryo stayed by the door after they'd gone, assuming the worst situation possible and bracing himself.

            Inwardly, Yamato prayed nothing would spoil such a fine opportunity. The girl seemed overly trusting, loyal and honest. To be perfectly frank, Yamato began to dislike her for it. _Happy_ people like her had never really been among his favorites.

            The girl clasped her hands, a blatantly fearful expression plastered on her pale face. "What is it you wanted to speak to me about? …A-about.. T-Takato?"

            "Sire!"

            Yamato silently cursed. He'd jinxed it. He knew he had. What else could explain such horrific timing?

            The guard saluted, continuing before Yamato had a chance to tell him off. "Sire, we've had news from the forest. There's been a demon-sighting, but the boy is nowhere to be found." Yamato turned to face the guard, a fierce look in his eye and a scowl shaping his mouth. The guard did not pick up the hint. "Oh, yes- the printmaker also finished these this morning, sire." He held up a sheet of paper, with a crude sketch of Takato and the words _MATSUDA_,_ TAKATO: WANTED FOR TREASON _in big, bold lettering.

            Juri's jaw dropped, and an audible gasp escaped her throat.

            Yamato's temper burst; he pulled back his arm and punched the idiot of a guard in the nose. A sickening crack could be heard on contact, followed by the girl's scream of horror as the guard dropped to the ground, unconscious and bloody.

            The blonde tried to take deep breaths, but the Katou girl's high-pitched sobs were seriously drilling into his forming headache, making it five times worse than it already was. There was audible struggling from the bar, and Juri ran back in, now crying. Ryo, having been ready for quite awhile, caught her before she could go any further than the door. Her father was struggling against four of sir Ishida's knights, glaring fiercely at Akiyama for even daring to touch his daughter.

            Yamato walked back into the bar, rubbing his temples painfully as the headache slowly grew; a scowl still one of his prominent features. He pointed, glaring, at the sobbing Juri, "Gag her. _Please_, someone, just _shut her up_!"

            A ginger-haired man stuffed his handkerchief into the girl's mouth. Her sobs were toned down, enough for Yamato to calm the pounding in his head.

            The blonde took a deep breath, and gently, but firmly, took Juri's chin, turning her head so that she stared strait into his eyes. "Let's find out just where your loyalties lie, girl."

~*~

            Takeru stood, overlooking the land with calm blue eyes, as if waiting. His golden mane ruffled in the cool breeze. Koushirou was out, delivering a message, leaving Takeru alone.

            Just as he had planned.

            A white-haired young man practically materialized from nothing behind the griffin. He had come from the shadows, hidden so well, despite the almost-iridescence of his hair. His eyes were same color as the griffin's own- fierce azure.

            His clothes were ragged, similar to that of Takeru's, but neater. He had a shortened, sleeveless shirt, with a black stripe down each shoulder. His pants were unruffled, cut off at a little below the calf. All of his clothes were pure white, without a trace of dirt. For one reason or another, he had white bandages wrapped around the whole of both arms, finally tucking in to his fingerless gloves; the black gloves had a monstrous claw sitting on each knuckle, big enough to be a lion's, but curved and sharp, like an eagle's.

            He had a smooth, somewhat manly voice that reminded Takeru of a serpent, for some reason. "Ishida."

            Takeru piqued, whirling to face the visitor. "I'm not an Ishida."

            The white-haired man shrugged, indifferent. "Takaishi, if you so prefer."

            The blonde scowled, "Obliged."

            His visitor grinned, showing off his pearl-white teeth. "Lovely."

            Takeru narrowed his eyes, "Why have you come?"

            The white-haired one waved a hand dismissively, "Such atrocious manners. Of course, I'd expect nothing less from _you_."

            The blonde griffin with-held the growl that caught in his throat, "Get to the point."

            "Games are no fun if they are _rushed_, Takaishi." Was the snappy reply.

            "_Why_ are you here, Neo." It was not a question.

            "_Please_," the other turned his back to Takeru, "_you_, of all people, should be able to guess."

            Takeru glowered, "_What_ do you _want_?"

            The white-haired one returned the glower with a giggle, and not one of the giddy type. "What do you _think_ I want?" he gestured in an arc, indicating the mountain.

            "_Never_."

            He wagged a finger in the blonde's face, "Ah-ah, Takaishi," a grin grew on the white-haired man's face, "You should know by now that bad things happen when you speak too soon." His eyes trailed over the greenery behind the griffin, resting on a small, primitive-looking village to the far left.

            "You wouldn't." Takeru took a small step back, glancing over his shoulder and staring fearfully at the village.

            Neo put up his arms in a false shrug, "And still you continue to speak too soon! What kind of Gryphon are you? Oh, _that's_ right… you're _not_." His face grew quite grim as he focused intensely on the blonde.

            "I was chosen! My destiny-"

            "Destiny," the white-haired one snorted, "is the stupid man's excuse for his failure."

            The blonde returned the unblinking gaze of Neo with his own. "It is also the tyrant's excuse to spread suffering."

            "Is _that_ what you think, Takaishi?" he raised his eyebrows in what looked to be amusement. "I'm _hurt_, _really_ I am." He then began to giggle.

            "Lay a feather on those Elves, and I'll-"

            "You'll what? Predict my future?" his giggle grew to a laugh, "Is that what you'll do? Tell me I'll die a millennia from now?" the laugh intensified, louder, eviler- then it stopped as soon as it had started. Neo was deathly calm again. "Too bad."

            Takeru suppressed the shudder, "Too bad _what_?"

            The grin Neo gained nearly split his face, "Too bad you cannot read as far into me as I, you." He did not wait for Takeru's reply, "Elves reign within both our futures, Takaishi."

            Takeru watched as the white-haired one grew solemn, turned, and walked away- towards the edge of the cliff. "…You will be back?"

            Neo looked over his shoulder. "No. Not in _this_ decade, anyway." The smirk returned, "But I can wait– you'd be surprised at how patient I can be. I will wait."

            Takeru resisted the urge to ask _for what?_. He decided he did not _want_ to know. Although, he knew, eventually, that he _would_ find out. Whether he liked it or not.

            Neo turned, faced Takeru, balancing dangerously on the edge. He waved a hand in departure, "Nothing to say, nothing to gain, nothing to apologize for– yet we still _do_…" he jumped, somersaulting backwards off the cliff. A white beast replaced Neo, screeching in the language of the Gryphon; flying up and over the mountain into the sky– back to the north where he'd come from.

            Takeru growled, "Show-off."

~*~

            Yamato left the tavern in a happier mood than when he'd come, if possible. A deal had been struck, and quite a good one, at that. Plus, he didn't have to hear that stupid girl's whining anymore! Oh, happy days!

            Ryo could see Yamato's faint smile. He knew the blonde was _immensely_ glad he was away from the Katou residence, but why the smile? Ryo hadn't heard much of what Yamato had said to the girl- only something about loyalties and letters. Nothing else.

            All he knew for sure was that the Matsuda boy was going to be in over his head if Yamato ever found him.


	5. placetne tibi?

A/N:: Whee! Double whammy, whatever the hell that is! Two chapters, like I promised… to Cruzer…… just enjoy.

Disclaimer?:: I own nothing. For the love of Goddramon, I'm in high school! How _could_ I? …Well, yes, world takeover is an option, but I won't utilize _that_ until college.

Summary?:: A war between knights and dragons; The mage has erased the fine line between fantasy and reality, the sphinx finds a disturbing scene, and the Chief of Knights is forced into an unwanted arrangement. Chapter 5, enjoy.

Note:: I might as well keep saying it, just in case: "The Alpha male" is a Ginjika BlackWarGreymon.

Another Note:: Try and guess who the little blonde elf girl is! If you get it right, you'll get— Nothing! But you'll have the joy of knowing you were right.

Yet Another Note:: "placetne tibi" means (literally) "is it pleasing to you?" in Latin.

A Final Note:: All cliffhangers and the like _will_ be revealed… eventually.

Dragon's War

Chapter 5: Daisuke and a Most Dangerous Game, Indeed – placetne tibi?

~*~*~*~

            The Alpha male grunted, narrowing his golden eyes. "I don't like him." Mimi patted his shoulder; murmuring something that made him jerk in surprise, then start pouting all over again. A deep-throated growl escaped him as he glared at the Mage.

            The rest of the clan had similar reactions, although none quite so hostile as the Alpha. Hikari and Sora bowed politely then went about their business, not as thrilled as Takato had hoped. Miyako was wary, but Ruki, even more so.

            Daisuke scratched the back of his neck, frowning slightly, "Maybe I ought to leave."

            "No!" Takato put his hand on the mage's shoulders, "I'm sure they'll warm up to you… just, uh," he searched his mind for a suggestion. None came.

            The mage sighed, "It's alright, Takato. I can sense when I'm not wanted… I get it a lot, if you can believe it."

            Takato slumped where he stood as Daisuke walked away. The mage was less than a few steps away when he suddenly stopped. He turned to Takato, the smile apparent on his tan face, "Before I go, d'you want to play a game?"

            "Sure!" Takato nodded vigorously, "What is it?"

            Daisuke turned his eyes to the sky, and then looked back to the boy, "Mages and Dragons."

            Takato cocked his head to the side, "I've never heard of that."

            Daisuke grinned mischievously, "I'll teach you, then." He gestured for Takato to follow, then turned and ran. The knight smiled and pursued. He had a feeling this was going to be interesting.

            So did Daisuke.

            Takato was out of breath by the time he caught up to the mage, who was scrambling around in some bushes, looking for something. There was a _snap_, and the man bounded up with two long twigs in hand.

            He handed one to Takato, and held his like a sword. "Now, you're the dragon and I'm the mage. We're going to swordfight, so anything goes. All right?" Daisuke held up his twig, and it became a sword. His clothes became armor, breast/back plate and gauntlets, and his cloak was red—he wore thicker, heavier boots than before, and the goggles around his head had been set on a red bandanna around his forehead.

            Takato looked down and found himself wearing a chain-mail shirt over a dark green tunic; the goggles around his neck had become a tight fitting, black, leather collar with large, silver spikes; his boots came up to his knees and looked heavy, but he felt no weight difference. He brought a hand to his chest to feel the chain, but there was none. He only felt his original shirt. The sword in his hand still felt like a twig.

            It was an illusionist's game…

            "Last one standing wins! Hah!" the mage lunged, bringing the sword down in an overhead stroke. Takato simply raised his sword, holding it horizontally, to block it.

            The fight began, and the boy had to admit, Daisuke knew what he was doing. But there was still no contest when Takato allowed his body to take over for his mind—it handled the sword better than his brain ever could. It was almost as if Takato was outside his body, watching himself beat back Daisuke with a twig that looked like a sword.

            They matched wits for several minutes, before Daisuke pulled out what looked like a dagger. He swung with a free arm, Takato jumped back to avoid the blade. His mind said it wasn't real, but his body had decided to play along.

            Daisuke quickly re-sheathed the dagger, and held the palm of his hand open wide, "I cast a Lightning spell!" A streak of blue light branched from his palm and shot towards Takato. The knight panicked and swung the sword. The lightning was deflected and bounced harmlessly away. Daisuke pouted, "You found the weakness," and then he smiled, "now you know how to play." He sheathed the sword and held up both palms, "Let's just advance, then. Hell's Teeth!"

            Jagged bolts of darkness shot towards the knight, he could only stare as it swirled and branched, before hitting him in the chest. Now he actually felt the pain, like a huge bull had rammed into him, full speed. Instantly, his image armor burst into tiny bits and floated away, leaving him in just the tunic. Takato collapsed, lying on his back, winded and aching, staring at the deep blue sky.

            Daisuke bent over, staring the boy in the face. "Mind's a powerful thing, eh? You okay?"

            Takato nodded slightly.

            The mage grinned, "Great!" He then jabbed the knight in the abdomen with his sword. "You're dead, I win." Takato glanced down, staring at the blood gushing from his stomach. Even though he knew it wasn't real, it still made him feel sick. Then, it all disappeared—the sword, the clothes, everything Daisuke had created. But he still smiled. "Want to play again? I'll let _you_ be the Mage, this time."

            "Uhk," Takato replied. It was all he could manage.

            Daisuke scratched his head; "You want a breather, then?" Takato nodded. "Okay, I'll wait," and he flopped down aside the winded knight, sitting and smiling.

            The mage waited patiently for Takato to recover, occupying himself with watching the few clouds that passed overhead, spotting whatever shapes he could and pointing them out. All Takato heard for those moments was "Look, a cat!" or "Ooh, look, look! A dragon! See?" and other assorted objects and beasts. Daisuke looked so much like a child— so innocent and playful— that it seemed almost impossible to imagine him as he said he was, with no friends at all.

            After a while, Takato sat up, finally breathing normally. Daisuke jumped up, "Ready for round two? You can be the Mage, if you want."

            Takato, more wary about the game, nodded after some thought. "Alright… I'll be the Mage."

            Daisuke clenched a fist and punched the air, "All right!" He settled down a bit, but the grin never left his face. "Not many people like my game, y'know. Thanks for playing."

            "Uh," Takato nodded slightly, allowing a weak smile, "my pleasure." Again, the clothes appeared—this time Takato with the Mage's outfit, in a brilliant blue, and Daisuke as the dark crimson Dragon. Takato grimaced slightly as he looked himself over, "Dai… uh, how do I cast magic?"

            "Just say something. Y'know, like Lightning Spell, or you could just make up a name. Let the illusion make itself— it likes that."

            "Oh," Takato now felt more confident. He even returned Daisuke's grin. "All right then, shall we start?"

            "That's the spirit!" The mage held up his sword, "Bring it on!"

            Takato searched his mind for a suitable attack name, holding out his palms. "Uh, Wall of… Fire!" Instantly, a huge blaze rose up in front of him, rushing towards the mage, who gawked in amusement.

            Before the fire was close enough to hit him, Daisuke disappeared, and then reappeared in front of Takato. He was grinning, "Dragon's Speed."

            Takato panicked, quickly putting up a hand, smacking Daisuke on the nose as he did, "Fire-wall!"

            Daisuke shot backwards, toppling onto his back— Takato could hear the sizzle of the mage's clothes. Daisuke's armor dissolved just as Takato's had— the knight then realized that he could win; he ran forward quickly and jabbed the mage in the stomach with his sword. Like before, blood spurted from the wound.

            The images dissolved and Daisuke sat up, blinking. "Whoa." He gingerly rubbed his nose, and then got to his feet. "You sure you haven't played this before? You're very good."

            Takato smiled broadly, but tried to stay modest. "Well, you taught me."

            The mage returned the grin. "I know, I know- I'm the best."

            "Another round, master?" Takato was beginning to enjoy this game. It wasn't half bad if he actually won every once in a while.

            Daisuke held up the twig, "My pleasure, student."

            Takato smiled, "I'll be the Dragon again." The clothes reappeared—same as the very first round. Takato held up his sword, knowing now what to expect.

            Daisuke grinned, taking the sword in both hands and holding it over his head, "Lightning Blade!" The sword glowed with a blue light, and he ran forward, holding the sword horizontally—preparing to rush the knight. Takato held up his sword for a block, but Daisuke abruptly swung his sword and brought it down, hard, on the knight's right shoulder with the flat of the blade. Takato cried out and fell to his knees, gripping his arm with a free hand; Daisuke continued, however, bringing out the dagger and holding it up to finish him off.

            The mage didn't get to finish his attack. Another figure, strong and silent, brought a heavy yew staff across Daisuke's jaw. The mage collapsed, writhing on the ground and clutching his cheek with both hands. Takato looked up, staring into the cold face of Ruki, dressed in a black tunic and chain mail—she glared fiercely at Daisuke.

            Takato blinked in surprise, confusion, "R-Ruki, wh-what was _that_ for? We're just playing a game…"

            She snorted in disgust, "Some game."

            It was then Takato realized Daisuke was not playing—he quickly scrambled over to the mage, forgetting his shoulder for the time being. "Dai! Dai, are you o-okay?"

            Daisuke's big, dark-brown eyes were brimming with tears, "_No_, thanks to her!" The clothes and swords dissolved, leaving Ruki in her original clothes, holding a long, crudely made quarterstaff.

            Ruki smiled, insincerely, of course, "You're welcome, mage." She resumed her stoic facet immediately, "Don't forget it."

            Takato stood abruptly, "_Ru_-ki! How can you be so mean to him? We're just kidding." Her fierce lilac eyes focused on him, "I… I think you owe Daisuke an apology."

            She stared, incredulous. "You…" she murmured, "you…_ idiot_." Ruki tossed the staff down with all her strength, glaring at both the knight and Daisuke.

            Daisuke whined from his spot on the ground, "Is _that_ her apology? I am _not_ accepting _that_!"

            "You, shut up. I was nice with you." Ruki growled to the mage; her attentions returned to Takato. "I guess _you're_ just as blind as any knight." She turned her back to the two, climbed a tree and disappeared into the sea of leaves.

            "_Ouch_," Daisuke hissed, watching Takato's bewildered face. "Wildfire burned ya'."

            Takato glanced at Daisuke, eyebrow arched. "What?"

            The mage sighed, still rubbing his jaw, "Nothing."

            The knight knelt on one knee, trying to examine the mage's jaw line. "Are you gonna be okay?"

            Daisuke nodded, "Yeah. I'm not capable of bruising, so it's all right."

            Takato nodded slightly, "Does it hurt?"

            The mage's head sunk back to the ground, whimpering, "What do you think?"

~*~

            Takeru lie sprawled out on his back on a huge bird's nest, contemplating. He wasn't sure why he could think best in this position, but didn't care enough to try and find another.

            What did Neo mean? _Elves reign in both our futures_— how did he know something like _that_? Takeru was positive that most Gryphon couldn't read their own futures—how did Neo do it? And if Neo could, why wasn't _he_ here?

            "Takeru," the sphinx padded quickly in. "Takeru—nothing to report." Koushirou then lied down on the floor, curled up and glared at the cave entrance.

            The griffin sat up, "Then why are you in here?"

            Koushirou snorted, "Because there's nothing to report."

            "You're cold, aren't you?"

            The sphinx rolled over, his coal black eyes narrowed. "I don't see _you_ sitting out there in the wind."

            "Alright, look—go walk or something, warm up. I need to be alone."

            Koushirou glanced at the griffin with tired eyes. "Fine." He rolled over onto his stomach and stood, padding out of the cave and bounding down the thin mountain trail.

            The sphinx had gone five hours with less than a disturbance. Koushirou began to wonder if anyone was even alive. He figured that he was coming closer and closer to the Village— he could already smell the Elvish horses.

            A sound rang out, echoing through the trees, coming from the direction of the Elven village. It took a moment before Koushirou realized that it was a vicious, bestial howl—triumphant, mournful, he couldn't tell exactly. A white horse raced past, its flank red with blood.

            The sphinx tensed, a shiver coursing through his spine. He took off at a run, heading for the Village as fast as he could make his huge lion-body go.

            A sad sight greeted him as he entered from between two thatched houses. Bodies lying in dried pools of blood, Koushirou counted over twenty around him—he could see the survivors were few. He approached a young Elven child, blonde as the sun with deep sea-green eyes. Her tunic, the color of forest leaves, was soaked in blood, but only her left hand was injured, nearly torn in half by something sharp. She was lucky—there were no fingers missing. "What happened here?"

            The Elf looked up at him, her eyes wide with horror, tears gently flowing. She shakily lifted her one good hand and pointed to the two mauled Elves that lie before her, then pointed to the sky. Koushirou nodded, although was still clueless—what flying thing would do _this_?

            A far older Elven boy came forward, with tawny hair and cobalt eyes, stepping in front of the little girl, "Tell him to leave us alone."

            Koushirou returned his attentions to them, "You're speaking to me?"

            He was glaring, "We didn't do anything to him! Tell him to leave us alone!"

            The sphinx blinked in surprise, "Him? Who-"

            "Don't play stupid with me! He killed my family, my horses—I'll kill him for what he did to us!" The boy's eyes were brimming with fresh tears. His voice grew calmer, "Tell him _that_…"

            Koushirou backed away, stepping over and around the scattered dead, a realization playing in his mind. …_ A griffin_…_ the griffin_…

            "I am from the Shiota—tell him I'll have my revenge!" the boy quickly rubbed his eyes with an arm, the other reaching back to grab hold of the younger girl's arm.

            The sphinx nodded slowly, continuing to back away, "I'll let him know…"

            The blonde girl tugged at the Shiota boy's torn sleeve, whimpering, "_che fare_, 'Kazu?"

            He turned to her, placing his hand firmly over hers, "I don't know."

~*~

            Yamato sighed, staring blankly at the open books on the table before him. He slumped in his chair, rapping his fingers on the wooden arm. His rotten mood slowly worsened as his felt the hard navy eyes of a dark-blonde man boring into his back. The man leaned on a waist-high, hickory walking stick, inlaid gold and silver decorating its length.

            The knight allowed his head to flop back against the headboard of his chair—he stared at the blank ceiling, praying for the man to go away.

            "Yamato," the man grunted in a rough tone.

            "_What_," the loath was apparent, "do you _want_, _Father_?"

            The man straightened his back, a frown creasing his face. "Don't speak to me in that tone, Yamato."

            "What _tone_?" Yamato spat, turning his sharp azure eyes to the man.

            "Your impudence will be your downfall, _Yamato_." The man took up the cane in one hand, placing his weight on his good left foot. "Don't look at me like that."

            "Like wh—" The cane caught the blonde young knight across the head. He jumped up from the chair, knocking it over; he grasped the side of his neck and stumbled into the desk. With fire burning his eyes, he turned to the man. "How _dare_ you—"

            "Don't take that tone with _me_."

            Yamato pulled his hand away from his head and looked at it, then placed it back. "You— how _dare_ you… you…" The knight pushed out a jagged breath, turning his back to the man. "_I hate you_."

            "No, you don't." Ishida replied, his harsh voice even and firm.

            Yamato spun, his hands brutally gripping the edge of the desk. "I _hate_ you!"

            "_No_," the man repeated, colder than before, "you _don't_."

            The knight grabbed the leg of the chair and threw it, bellowing, "_I hate you_!"

            The man dodged it almost easily. He was incredibly agile for his age— one might not have even known he needed a cane by the speed he moved. He was at Yamato's side in an instant, bringing the cane across the knight's shoulders in trained slashes.

            Yamato fell forward, catching himself as he hit the floor and trying to roll away. The man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him back to the center of the open floor, and there proceeded to lay down the law. Yamato fought back, punching and kicking—he was finally pinned after a good fight. The man held his cane lengthwise across Yamato's neck, pressing his weight onto the knight's lifeline.

            Yamato quit struggling, knowing he was beaten. He managed a strangled, "I hate you," before his eyes brimmed with tears.

            Extra weight on the cane stopped the formation of more, and he opened his eyes, staring into the cold dark ones of his father. The man stated plainly, "You don't hate me."

            Yamato nodded as best he could, "Yes, I do… I… you," he gasped for air, "you never let me say good-bye."

            "You didn't need to." Ishida Masaharu replied.

            "What was wrong with him?" rasped the knight. "Why did you—"

            The pressure on his neck increased, "You don't have a brother."

            "But I saw—"

            The man shoved quickly against the cane, making the knight yelp, "Repeat after me. You don't _have_ a brother."

            "I don't… I don't have a brother…" murmured Yamato.

            "He never existed in the first place. Now, say it louder."

            "I don't have a brother." The knight's voice rose slightly.

            "_Louder_, damn you."

            Yamato glared, kicking up his knees against his oppressor with the last of his strength, roaring, "I don't have a brother!"

            He was released from the pin; air flooded his lungs. He grabbed at his neck, feeling the pulse that was pounding in his neck. He focused a hate-filled glare at his father as the man slowly picked up the chair and set it upright, then opened the study door and left.

            "Your impudence will be your downfall, Yamato."

            An astonished Ryo stared at the beaten Yamato from the hall.

            "You, apprentice!" the Ishida man turned to the knight. "Prepare my horse."

            Ryo nodded quickly, and with a final glance to Yamato, departed.

            "Apprentice," Yamato snorted silently. Ryo was his right hand.

            Master Ishida, after barking a fair complement about Ryo's skill in preparing a horse, rode off at a quick trot down the gravel road. There was a bit of business left in the village for him to settle.

~

            A young woman stared at the runes scribbled messily across the pages of her book. Her mind was not on the page, but somewhere completely different—she kept thinking back to her family, if her brother was well and with work, and if he was staying out of trouble.

            She wasn't pretty, but nor could she scare off animals at a glance. Rather, she was plain, if anything. She wore a knee-length tunic under a long, cotton, vest-like article that ran down to her ankles. She also wore thick, black leather boots that came past her shins, and several charms around her neck and wrists, completing her fashion. Her dull reddish hair stuck up at various angles, somewhat of a family style.

            Masaharu Ishida entered through the front door of the apothecary, the bells rigged around it jingling happily. He barked orders immediately, "You, witch, I've come for my results."

            She sighed, mentally rolling her eyes. "That's _Jun_, sir. No service if you can't remember your server's name."

            He grunted. "Fine. Jun."

            Jun nodded. "Better. Now, what?"

            "You sent me a letter—you have my future."

            "State your name," she droned, refusing to look up from the runes.

            The wooden cane he carried smacked against the counter top, "You _know_ my name, witch."

            Her bored eyes trailed up from the pages, with a look that screamed '_you have to be kidding me_.' In no way did he intimidate her; she'd lived long enough to know that there was nothing to fear from any mortal man on the planet.

            She studied his face for a moment, before nodding, "Whatever. Ishida, right? Yeah, it took me a while, but I figured it out." She slid off her seat to reach down and grab a book from the floor, flipping through the old, yellowed pages. When she came to a loose sheet, she plucked it from the book and quickly rolled her eyes before turning back to Ishida.

            The knight nodded slowly. "And?"

            Jun reseated herself on the stool and set the paper in front of her, nodded once, and pushed the paper towards the knight.

            He picked up the sheet and looked at it. He set it back down. "I can't read your handwriting."

            Jun mentally kicked herself, "Right…" She grabbed the paper and scanned it quickly, trying to decipher the illegible scribbles she'd apparently made in the dark. "… I can't read it either. Well, I'm pretty sure it said something along the lines of _danger_."

            The knight merely stared. "Oh? What sort of danger?"

            The witch considered, "Death-causing, I'm sure. I'd figured that it was the only _kind_ of danger."

            He didn't look amused.

            Jun continued quickly; even though she didn't fear him, she didn't want him as an enemy, either. "Ah, y'know, the prophecy's coming back. Yeah— _a great enemy grows in power everyday that he is ignored_._ And for every day that he is ignored is another injury that he will avenge_."

            Now the knight's face beheld amusement. "Who is this enemy?"

            Jun shrugged. "All _I_ could get was: _he's closer than you think_."

            He turned away from the witch, murmuring, "But I've killed all my opposition…"

            She scratched her ear and continued to shrug. "Could be the son of an enemy. Could be someone in your ranks. Could even be someone in the village."

            He whirled on her, "You're not helping."

            Jun threw up her arms, "Not my problem. _Your_ future, _you_ figure it out."

            Masaharu backed down somewhat, nodding solemnly. "All right. I understand… My thanks, witch Jun. What do I owe you?"

            The apothecary waved a hand dismissively. "Just go, it's all right."

            The knight gained a thoughtful look, "Isn't there anything I could do for you? Anything you want? Your information is invaluable, you know- I wish to repay you."

            A smile split her face as an idea dawned. "Well, sir—I believe your _son_ promised me dinner together last week, but I haven't seen him since. Could you, milord, remind him for me?"

            The old knight considered, a small smile on his face, one that could almost be described as fiendish in nature. "Ah, I see. Well, then… how is your schedule two days from now?"

            Jun leaned on the counter, grinning broadly. "Empty as the sky the sparrows skim!"

            "Excellent," Master Ishida tapped his cane on the counter. "I will remind Yamato of his promise and send a horse for you at three hours past noon, two days from today. Is this acceptable?"

            "More so," murmured the apothecary, a dreamy look coming across her eyes. "I'll be waiting."

~*~

            Daisuke stared at his bobbing reflection in the small pond that the dragons used for drinking water. He carefully ran a finger along his jaw line, griping silently. He opened his mouth and scrutinized the reflection.

            Takato scratched his head, staring as Daisuke continued to examine himself in the makeshift mirror. "What're you looking for?"

            The mage glanced at the knight out of the corner of his eye, "I think your little _friend_ might've knocked a tooth loose, or something." Finding nothing, Daisuke closed his mouth and sat up, then began to grumble all over again. "I don't want to go back _now_… It's too _soon_, she'll _know_…"

            Takato crawled next to the mage and sat, quickly sipping water from his hand to clear his throat. "Who'll know what?"

            "Ah?" Daisuke blinked his large brown eyes. "Oh, well—it's nothing."

            "Come on," the knight smiled. "You can tell me anything."

            The mage sighed, "It's nothing. You wouldn't understand, anyway." There was a long silence between them, broken only by the chirping of a single bird in the trees. Daisuke sat up and listened, then gently nudged Takato with his hand. "I'm going for a walk, alright?"

            "I'll go with you—"

            "No, you stay here. I'll be right back." And with that, the mage walked through the trees, leaving Takato alone. The bird had gone as well, and now there was only the sound of silence.

            Daisuke walked for a while before he heard the crunch of leaves behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, Ruki stood there, as serious as ever.

            Daisuke turned to face her, "You wanted to speak to me?"

            "You're a smart one, mage." She replied icily. "How'd you know?"

            He shrugged, a one-sided smile hovering on his face. "I know a thing or two about bird-calls. It's not that hard." He shifted his weight onto his other foot. "So what did you want to say? Was the jaw not enough? Come to break my ribs and back, too?"

            "As much as I'd like to," Ruki's face portrayed no emotion. "That's not what this is about. I don't like you, and you don't like me–"

            "Well, I never said _that_." He smiled, "I think if you were a little nicer, though, I'd like you more."

            "Shut up," she snapped. Daisuke shrugged apologetically, but the grin was still there. "Takato might trust you, but _I_ don't. If you _ever_ try to pull another stunt like that on him again—"

            "Stunt?" He put on his best innocent face. "I've never pulled a stunt in my life."

            "Don't lie to me, mage."

            "_Ooh_," Daisuke's eyebrows were perked at their highest. "Protective, aren't we?"

            The dragon took a step back, indignant. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

            "Just… answer me this," the mage stepped forward with long, confidant strides. "_Why_?"

            Daisuke ducked low as Ruki's fist shot out, and narrowly avoided the second with a backwards roll—he jumped back up with a wide grin, and disappeared. Ruki stumbled, but quickly regained her balance, still fuming.

            She clenched her fists, turning around and around, seeking for sight of Daisuke. "I know what I saw, mage! You can't hide it much longer!" Daisuke's laugh sounded in her ears; she whirled, looking for him- but he was already gone. When silence resumed, Ruki could faintly hear a flute in the distance.

            "How I _love_ your friends, Takato…" Daisuke murmured to himself, watching the young knight as he threw pebbles into the pond, bored.

~*~*~*~


	6. See to Believe

A/N:: All who are fans of this fic, thank Cruzer. She keeps yelling at me, and truthfully, if it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't be posting as much… Stop laughing!

Disclaimer?:: Hm, well, I own nothing. Unless someone is out of character, then it's probably all my fault.

Summary?:: As the War continues to hover over the lives of both dragon and knight, the Chief of Knights is forced into an unwanted arrangement, and on the way, he finds an equine friend. Chapter 6, enjoy.

Note:: That "direction-telling stone" that Taichi refers to is an actual rock (forgot the name) found in Greece (and other places that I can't remember right now), and is really just a rock with a high magnetic field—so it's basically a natural compass.

Other Note:: I'm using "Masaharu" for the name of Yamato's father, because that's what I _heard_ (somewhere) it was. I don't know for a fact, so don't go flaming me if I'm wrong, because I don't care.

Anything Else We Should Know?:: Uh… all cliffhangers and similar entities will be explained eventually. And so, without further ado-!

Dragon's War

Chapter 6: Dates with Destiny, and Other Intimations of Madness – See to Believe

~*~*~*~

            Yamato stared at the ceiling once more, sitting in his study, feet propped up on a second chair. He nursed the bruises on his shoulder, cursing his father every time pain pricked at him.

            "Son," Masaharu Ishida called. "I have news for you."

            Yamato sat up. "Want to break an arm, now?"

            "Son, please," his father returned calmly, "You know I'm only teaching you a lesson. You need to respect your elders."

            The knight snorted. "Whatever. What did you want to tell me?"

            "You know Jun, don't you?"

            Yamato glanced at his father, questioning. "Who?"

            "The apothecary."

            Yamato tensed, remembering her now. "_Oh_. What about her?"

            Ishida smiled, "I've arranged for you to dine with her."

            "You _what_?" Yamato jumped up, disgusted. "_Why_?! Didn't I pay penance enough? Why do I have to take _Her_ to dinner, too?"

            "Yamato," Ishida tapped his cane on the knight's sore shoulder. "You need to learn to keep your promises. She told me you had promised to dine with her earlier."

            The blonde sunk back into his chair, "She _remembered_ that? That was three months ago!"

            "_Months_? She told me it was last week."

            Yamato put his hands to his face, murmuring, "I can't say I'm surprised."

            Ishida tapped Yamato's head, "That's not very nice, Yamato. You're going to take her to dinner, and you're going to make sure she has an acceptable time."

            Yamato growled under his breath, so his father wouldn't hear, "I hate you, you—"

            "What was that?" Ishida leaned forward, straining to hear.

            The blonde snapped his head up, "I'm not going. I refuse to go. You may be my father, but you have _no_ right to torture me like this."

            "Yamato, it's just _dinner_."

            But the knight was already walking quickly away. "I will _not_ go!" Yamato stomped down the hall to his room, where he changed into more comfortable clothes—a forest-green tunic over gray pants, accompanied by a fine hunting dagger— and made his way out of the castle. His father only watched, figuring that Yamato would return soon enough. Ishida wasn't worried; he knew Yamato did this often—when the boy was frustrated, he would go for a walk in the woods. He had done it since he was old enough to walk.

~*~

            Yamato was, to say the least, fuming. He didn't bother with a horse, but simply hiked down the road, glaring strait ahead and nowhere else. After a few minutes, he turned off the road and into the forest, where he pushed aside brush and branches as he made his way.

            He ignored everything around him, listening only to the thoughts that raged in his mind.

            Yamato did not know how far he'd gone in this direction, only that he'd been walking for an hour. Now that his anger had subsided some, he stood in place and listened to the forest around him. Nothing. Not even a bird.

            He realized something was wrong, mentally kicking himself for not listening earlier. How stupid he was!

            Yamato set a hand to his dagger, and found that the knife was gone. Forcing himself to remain calm, as if he'd never noticed, Yamato slowly began to turn and gather his bearings, listening for any movement whatsoever. His dagger was stolen, he was positive—a knife as curved as his couldn't have simply fallen out.

            Yamato whirled at what sounded like a log snapping. What he saw awed him, making him freeze where he stood. A huge horse, whose head was the torso, arms, and head of a man, leaped from the trees in front of him, wielding a huge mace, readying it to swing.

            The blonde saw his life flashing before his eyes—his father, life at the Guild, and that one backwards memory when he saw himself in the arms of his mother— but his instinct saved him. Yamato dived to the side, narrowly avoiding collision with the immense hooves of the monster. The horseman swung the mace, taking chunks out of two trees and ripping another young one from the ground, as well as knocking something down. The horse part of it reared, crushing whatever the horseman was aiming for underfoot.

            The horseman grinned triumphantly, shouldering the mace. He bent, with some difficultly, and took up something from the crushed creature. The horseman turned and held out a curved dagger, smiling, to Yamato.

            "This is yours, isn't it? Saw him take it from ya'." The horse kicked at the creature with a hind hoof.

            Yamato stared at the immense creature, then at the dagger, and then returned to the creature. "Wha-…what are you?"

            The horseman straightened his body, standing tall. "Well, that's not very nice. I'd have figured you would already know that, being well studied like you are. I'm Centauri."

            The knight slowly got to his feet, taking note that the top of his head barely came to the centaur's chest. "C-centauri?"

            The horseman nodded, "That's right. My name's Taichi, what about you? I haven't seen you before."

            Yamato took a moment to study this new being, this centaur. It, Taichi, had a well-muscled human torso, and a thick mess of dark brown hair hanging limp on his head. The horse half of him was lean and strong, the same chocolate brown color as his hair. The human half looked to be Yamato's age, though if this was true, the knight could not tell.

            All the centaur wore was an iron gauntlet on each of his arms, and a thick belt, from which hung the rabbit-skin sling that held his immense mace. Next to that was a larger pouch, but what it held, Yamato could not tell. The centaur also wore an unmistakable look of honest, friendly stupidity. Yamato, reassured, looked confidently into the horseman's face, "I am Ishida Yamato."

            Taichi made a face, as if he were thinking incredibly hard. After a moment, he relaxed and shook his head, "I've never heard of your family."

            "I-"

            The centaur turned his horse half to face the knight, "Need a ride, Yamato? I can take you back to the Village—or we could go back to my camp for tea, which ever you would prefer."

            The blonde stared at the offer. He had ridden so many horses in his training, but when would he ever have _this_ particular chance again? Yamato nodded vigorously, adding, "But I don't live in the… _village_." Yamato, however, was unsure of what exactly the _Village_ was.

            Taichi smiled and nodded, "I can take you wherever you want."

            The blonde strode forward, and tried to mount, having some difficulty on so large a horse. Taichi aided by grabbing Yamato by the belt and hauling him up into place. Yamato rubbed his sore abdomen, "Thanks, I think."

            The centaur grinned ear to ear. "You're welcome!" He stuck a hand into the mysterious pouch, "What direction do you need to go?"

            "Oh," Yamato glanced around, unsure of where he'd come from. "North and east, I think."

            The centaur smiled, glancing over his shoulder, "You think a lot, don't you?" Yamato blinked, never having had the pleasure of being directly ridiculed.

            From out of the pouch, Taichi produced a little, pointed, gray-black rock tied on a string. He held it out in front of him, at eye level, and watched the thing spin, then smiled as the sharp end pointed towards the north. Taichi smiled and turned in that direction, then began to walk.

            "What is that?" Yamato leaned forward to see over the centaur's broad shoulder.

            Taichi handed the little rock to the blonde, "It was a gift from a friend of mine. It tells me where North is."

            "Oh?" Yamato twirled the rock, watching as it gradually returned to pointing in the direction they were going. "Impressive."

            "I take it you don't have one."

            Yamato shook his head. "I've never seen something like this before."

            The centaur grinned. "It's yours, then."

            "What?" The blonde leaned forward to see the beaming face of the horseman, "You're _giving_ it to me? I thought it was a gift-"

            "That's true, it was." Taichi shrugged. "But that friend was afraid I'd get lost without it, so it's not exactly _special_ to me."

            Yamato looked at the direction telling stone and smiled. He wrapped it up in its string and set it carefully in the small pouch on his belt. "Thank you."

            The centaur waved a hand dismissively, "Don't mention it."

            Yamato tapped Taichi's left shoulder, "Mind if I lead?"

            Taichi shrugged, "Why not?"

            "Alright, then!" The knight nudged his heels into the flanks of the centaur, who jumped forward in reaction and began to gallop. Yamato set his hands on the centaur's shoulders, turning him east.

            Five minutes riding in this direction, and then Yamato turned the horseman north again; it wasn't long before they rode out into a huge open area. Taichi marveled at a long, wooden structure that held other horses.

            Yamato hopped off the centaur's back and gestured to the structure, "Those are the stables."

            Taichi moved forward at a brisk trot, "It's big. It's almost as large as the stables in the Village." He examined the stalls and the white horses within them. "Kind of scrawny, aren't they?" Taichi reached out a hand to touch one, "What do you feed them?"

            "Oh, uh-" Yamato scratched his head, "Horse-feed."

            Taichi glanced at the knight with an upturned eyebrow. "Alright, but what's in it?"

            Yamato shrugged. "I'm not the one that feeds them. The stable-hand does."

            "Well, where does he keep the food?" The centaur pulled himself away from the horse and trotted the length of the stable, glancing around. Yamato pointed to an empty stall where several bags and a full bucket of odd-looking, grain-like mixture sat. Taichi took up the bucket and lifted a handful of the stuff to his mouth. Almost instantly, his face contorted to display utmost disgust—the centaur clapped a hand over his mouth, reluctantly swallowing. He dropped the bucket; it fell to the ground with a _clang_, but still sat upright. Taichi whirled and lashed out a heavy hind leg, kicking the bucket clear across the stable.

            Yamato stared as the pail clanged to the ground, scaring all of the horses contained in the stables. "I take it that the food is not acceptable."

            The centaur wiped an arm across his lagging tongue, still with a revolted look on his dark face. "I wouldn't feed _that_ to the ants."

            "Hello? Sir, is that you?"

            Yamato jumped, grabbing Taichi by the arm and pulling him towards a hay-filled stall. "Quickly, you must hide!"

            "What? Why?" The centaur reluctantly trotted into the stall, looking back at the blonde knight.

            Yamato gestured to the hay, "Hide!"

            Taichi stared at the pile, "You're kidding me."

            "Hide!" The knight barked again.

            "Sir?" Came the stable-hand's voice.

            The centaur glanced once more to the hay, and then knelt, completely concealing his human half in the moldy stack.

            "Sir?" repeated the servant.

            "_What_?" Yamato turned a fierce eye to the hand.

            The servant bowed, "Your father is looking for you, sir."

            "Yamato!"

            The stable hand quickly moved to the side as Masaharu Ishida strode towards them.

            "Yamato, what _are_ you doing out here?"

            "Nothing, _father_." Yamato replied icily.

            Ishida did not look amused. "Get your ass inside, or—… Yamato, what's wrong with that horse?" The knight moved closer to examine the horse with its head buried in the hay.

            Yamato stood in front of his father, obscuring the view. "He's, er, shy."

            "Shy? You're _joking_." Ishida pushed Yamato to the side to get a better look. "You! Stablebuck! What's wrong with this horse?"

            The servant glanced in the stall, staring at the centaur. "I do not know, sir. I've never seen this horse before."

            Ishida glanced at his blonde son, "Yamato…?"

            The knight stepped in front of their view once again, glaring daggers. "It's mine—I told you, he's _shy_."

            Master Ishida shook his head, "Fine, do what you will. Just be ready for your date—it's in two days."

            Yamato's glare was piercing, but it went ignored.

            As soon as the servant had gone, Taichi burrowed out from the hay. "I am _not_ shy."

            Yamato breathed a sigh, turning back to the centaur. "You said something about tea, earlier?"

~*~

            "Takeru!" Koushirou gasped, clawing desperately at the ground, trying to pull himself over the ledge of the cliff. "_Takeru_!" Koushirou nearly threw himself into the cave, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart.

            The griffin did not move, he just continued to lie in the gold-filled nest.

            Koushirou ground his teeth, rasping loudly, "Takeru!"

            No movement.

            "TAKERU!"

            The griffin lifted a hand. "I heard you the first time."

            Koushirou flexed his paws, taking a deep breath. "Takeru! The Village—"

            "It's gone, isn't it?"

            The sphinx stopped mid-sentence, then slowly nodded.

            "I know."

            Koushirou shifted uncomfortably, "Takeru, there were survivors— one of them, he said that—"

            "I know…"

            Koushirou frowned, barking, "Then why am I even here!? You know everything, so why do I have to stay here!?"

            "I'm sorry… Do continue…"

            "Never mind!" Koushirou bellowed, stomping back outside and lying down on the dirt, growling under his breath.

            Takeru sat up, watching the sphinx fume in silence. He pushed out a sigh, shaking his head slowly, and then lay back down, staring at the stone ceiling.

~*~

            Mimi had been watching Ruki brood ever since the redhead had returned from wherever she had gone in the first place. Miyako, Sora, and Hikari were engaged in a game, one skipping between two ropes while they all chanted some absurd rhyme.

            "Ruki, what's wrong?" The alpha female finally called, quietly enough so the others would not hear.

            The redhead turned away, refusing to answer.

            A slight frown creased Mimi's face; she stared up at the back of Ruki's head, concentrating. Ruki tensed, bringing her knees to her chest. Mimi's concentration faltered, colliding with the mental wall Ruki had put up. Taking a deep breath, the alpha forced herself to concentrate harder, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes.

            The redhead balled her hands into fists, all her muscles clenched as she tried to block Mimi out.

            Unconsciously, the alpha reached out a hand, brushing her fingers against Ruki's shoulder. With a jerk, Mimi pulled back and Ruki sat up, roaring, "STOP IT!"

            Miyako tripped on the ropes, hitting the ground with a dull sound as Sora and Hikari turned to stare.

            Realizing how much of a scene she'd made, Ruki leaped down from the tree, running off as fast as she could go. Mimi chased after the redhead, yelling, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see that far—!"

            Mimi returned to her curious companions after several long moments, shaking her head slowly. "I lost her."

            Sora helped Miyako to her feet, eyes never leaving the alpha. "What happened?"

            "She wouldn't talk to me," Mimi began, wondering if she could really justify herself. "I tried to read her, but she blocked me out…"

            The ginger-haired dragon stared, her expression hovering somewhere between concern and horror. "You _forced_ the link?"

            Miyako blinked, looking back and forth between the two. "You can _do_ that?"

            Ignoring Miyako, Mimi hung her head, "I'm sorry! I just wanted to know why she was so upset!"

            "What did you see?"

            Mimi looked up, "I saw Takato—he was with that friend of his… what was his name? Davis?"

            "Daisuke," Sora corrected.

            "Yeah," Mimi amended, "Daisuke. They were there… then everything changed…"

            Sora nodded slightly, "And?"

            Mimi kept her eyes to the ground, thinking, "I'm not really sure." Her face softened as she ran the brief images through her mind again and again. "I saw people… it hurt…" She put a hand to her heart, "I felt so cold inside… it was _awful_."

            "How does Ruki manage?" Hikari murmured, "She keeps it all bottled up."

            The thought settled uncomfortably into the group, and they nodded in agreement.

            Mimi tried to imagine how it would feel to keep everything she ever felt to herself, but found it impossible to visualize. She studied the faces of the group, coming to a conclusion. "Let's not let this change anything."

            Sora frowned, "What?"

            "Ruki wouldn't like it if she knew I told you about what I saw. Try not to treat her any different than you do now." With those final words, Mimi focused a glance at Hikari, who shrugged quickly in reply.

~*~

            The centaur had been traveling with Yamato on his back for less than an hour, trotting at a leisurely pace. "You didn't tell me you were human." The words sounded almost conversational.

            Yamato raised his eyebrows in amusement, "Was I supposed to?"

            "I would swear you to be Elvish, if I knew no better."

            "I look like an Elf?" Yamato stared at the back of the centaur's head as Taichi nodded.

            "You do. Any other creature would say the same, I'm sure." The centaur brushed aside low hanging branches as he passed through, choosing the widest path as he made his way.

            Somewhat flattered, Yamato allowed himself a smile. "Really?"

            "I take it you've never seen an Elf."

            Yamato shook his head, "No, I haven't. What do they look like?"

            "Oh, real light hair, like yours, and blue or green eyes. Most of them wear something like you, green and gray, to blend in with the forest. Real nice people."

            The centaur nodded again, then reached into his pouch. He handed Yamato the curved knife that he'd picked up earlier. "You never took this back."

            Yamato slipped the dagger into its sheath, "Thanks."

            Yamato had never seen anything like what the centaur introduced to him. A huge oak tree had been hollowed out for a shelter, and next to it grew a tall apple tree, full of ripe fruit. The remains of a campfire burned in a spot clear of trees on either side, and near it, the utensils for tea-making were set up.

            The centaur kneeled by a tall stump, allowing Yamato to dismount with no trouble. Taichi grinned from ear to ear as he trotted about, stirring the fire and setting the tea kettle over it; the centaur picked up a rock that was at least twice the size of Yamato's head—he carried it back to the knight, setting it near the fire as a crude chair.

            Taichi smiled as he worked, keeping up with the conversation as he trotted to and fro. "I don't get much company, anymore."

            "Really?" Yamato studied his surroundings, taking note of where he was. "Why not?"

            The centaur shook his scruffy head, "Dunno. No one from the Village has dropped by since last full moon—the moon's nearing full now, but I still haven't seen anyone. I guess it's the trader's harvest, but it seems too early." He glanced at the sky, squinting against the sun.

            "What's that?"

            Taichi blinked, readjusting his eyes, "The trader's harvest? Oh, it's kind of a holiday. Most of the Village takes their horses n' things to over by the sea, and then they trade 'em." The centaur smiled wistfully, glancing into the forest. "Wish I could go, but the trip's hard. 'Specially for me, y'know?" He gestured to his equine half.

            Yamato nodded, trying to be understanding. He found that the feeling came a little easier; he smiled, accepting the large clay cup that the centaur offered him.

            "And Mimi hasn't brought her clan by for a long time."

            The knight raised an eyebrow, sipping his tea.

            Taichi noticed the question in his face, and smiled. "They're dragons. You don't get out much, do you?"

            "No," Yamato murmured softly, his mind processing what the centaur had just told him. "I don't." Could the boy he was looking for be rooming with this… clan? "I've never seen a dragon before… can you tell me about them?"

            The centaur grinned, happy that his new friend found his information so interesting. "Sure! Well, there aren't many dragons left here— Sora told me some knights wiped them out. I've never seen them in their dragon forms before, though."

            Yamato leaned forward slightly, listening intently. "What's that mean?"

            "Oh," Taichi paused. "Well, they have two forms. One is the dragon, one looks human. Neat disguise, huh?"

            The blonde nodded, "It is." He tried to withhold the grin that threatened to split his face. "Where do these dragons live? I'd like to meet them, someday."

            The smile faded from Taichi's face. "Oh… I can't tell you that. Sorry."

            "Why not?" Yamato put on his best innocent expression.

            The centaur suddenly looked as if he'd realized that he'd done something he wasn't supposed to. "Sora made me promise not to tell anyone."

            Yamato made a face of disappointment, "That's too bad. I'd have loved to meet them."

            Taichi bit his lip, his face portraying a severe internal struggle. After several moments, the centaur leaped up, a broad grin on his face. "I can't tell you where they are, but I can take you there! Then you can meet them and I won't break my promise!"

            That same smirk of an adroit slyness returned to Yamato's face. He quickly turned it into one of happiness, "That's great!"

            The centaur skipped around, so obviously excited, "I can take you there the day after tomorrow! They're always in camp when the moon gets full!"

            A sudden thought struck the smile from Yamato's face. _Jun_. "Oh… no, that won't work."

            "Huh?" Taichi stopped his prancing; Yamato somehow felt like the happiness had been sucked from the area. "Why not?"

            The knight sighed heavily, "I have an arrangement that day… I have to _keep my promise_," Yamato said it through clenched teeth. "And take that… that _woman_ out to dinner."

            "Oh, well that sounds nice."

            "Are you mad?" Yamato snapped. Upon seeing the centaur's look of indignant shock, he softened. "Sorry… it's just… She… she _bribed_ me." A look of confusion. "I was looking for valerian, she's the only one that had any." More confusion. "She's an apothecary." Absolute confusion. Did the centaur understand _anything_ that was coming out of his mouth? "I had no money, but she said it was alright, just to take it and go, but then I said _are you sure?_ and she said _how about dinner together?_ So then I said _sure, how about later?_ but I didn't know she'd remember!"

            "Er, well… that sounds nice."

            Yamato sighed. "Never mind."

~*~

            Takeru walked out of his cave, standing still and watching the sphinx intently. After a moment, Koushirou stirred, rolling over and glaring.

            Before the sphinx could spout anything, Takeru spoke first. "You're a catalyst."

            "What do—… I'm what?"

            "That's why you're here." Takeru sat on the edge of the cliff, staring out at the forest. "I see things, and what I see is what's supposed to happen. I send you because you're the one who will start the chain of events."

            "Why can't you go?"

            The griffin sighed. "I'm tied to this mountain. I can't leave—He'll come back, if I do." Takeru quickly held up a hand to stifle any questions. "You don't need to know."

            Koushirou sat up, his normally serious face quite blank. "I make things happen, just by being there?"

            Takeru was surprised with the question, it not having been what he was expecting. "Well… yes."

            A rare smile broke the calm of the sphinx's face. "Prodigious."

            The griffin raised an eyebrow, chuckling lightly. "I'll never understand you."

            "You don't need to."

~*~*~*~


End file.
